Three Clans
by Duskspiral
Summary: "Sure, Starclan can make clouds cover the moon at Gatherings and send lightning down to strike trees, but they cannot change who we are." (OC SUBMIT)
1. Prologue

Prologue

Swiftfang followed her fellow warriors along the river. Her white and gold pelt held beautiful light pink and white petals that had blown off the nearby magnolia trees along the stream.

"Patrol, halt!" shouted the deputy from ahead, startling her and making her stop so quickly that she almost tripped over her paws. With a grunt, she stabilized herself. _This is no time for games,_ she told herself sternly. _You have to concentrate._

They kept walking.

The patrol was travelling over to Rockclan border where Swiftfang hoped that they'd start fighting. Her apprentice could use the experience but Swiftfang still had her concerns. The young cat was practically a kit in her eyes and they hadn't practiced fighting all that much. Maybe she wouldn't fight Rockclan, but watch instead.

If it came to a brutal conflict, of course.

"Whee!" a nearby squeal of delight tore Swiftfang from her thoughts making her instantly turn around.

A small, dark gray shape was hanging from a nearby blossom tree with her front paws, swinging her lower body and yipping in delight. The young apprentice was dangling right over the river without even realizing it.

"Fadingpaw! Get down from there right now!" Swiftfang called angrily. _This is a battle patrol, not a 'ooh hanging from trees over the river sounds like fun' session!_

She ran over, fur bristling in annoyance. Anger rose to the very tips of her ears.

Gripping the tree with her claws, Swiftfang began scaling the trunk towards the apprentice, who was oblivious to the river rushing along below her. Her claws slid into the young bark easily.

Fadingpaw giggled. "You can't get me!" She began moving out to the edge of the branch - away from Swiftfang - which sagged under her weight.

"No! Get away from there!" Swiftfang yowled.

The she-cat's paws slipped and she let out a terrified squeal and began to claw at the branch. But it was no use. Fadingpaw was falling.

And she was falling straight into the jaws of the raging river below.

()()()

**I am not accepting characters because I'm lazy and cannot come up with cats. I'm only doing this for the challenge, and because I want to try something different. Finishing the story will be tough, but that's why it's a challenge, right?**

**Important for character submission! :**

\- If you have queens with kits, I also need the kits.

\- No crazy names, (Rainbowtaco, Purplehair) eye colours, (Black, White), or pelt colours, (Green, Blue). Trouble, a kittypet in the allegiances, is the only exception.

\- I **do not** want ages for anyone. Period.

\- I **do not** need the entire family of the cats unless you want to do that, but I do need littermates for kits and apprentices. (If they have littermates. I also want only one to four cats in a litter.)

\- Please try and make balanced characters with some negative traits, even if it's only one.

Format For Submission

Name: Very Needed (lol)

Clan: Optional, but wanted

Rank: Needed

Gender: Needed

Appearance Short: Needed (This will be shown in the allegiances)

Appearance Long: Optional, but wanted (Scars, other details, etc.)

Personality: Needed

Other: Totally optional! (Likes and dislikes, relationships, etc.)

**Keep in mind that once you submit your cats, they are mine to mess with. Your character might die during the story. If you don't want that tragic fate to happen to them, then use your characters to create your own warriors story. I will give you credit for the character after submit them, and also italicize any new character that shows up in the allegiances so it's easy to keep track. I'll update the allegiances later when we get a Blossomclan medicine cat, some apprentices from all clans and some warriors from all clans so we can this fanfic started! **

\- 《DUSK》

**ALLEGIANCES**

About Blossomclan

_Blossomclan hunts among the blossom and magnolia trees in the forest. They can climb trees with their sharp claws easily, and are commonly active during the day. This clan has a variety of different cats. In their spare time, Blossomclan cats can be seen socializing with their clanmates. They value friendship and good relationships between clan members and building strong connections with their peers._

**Blossomclan**

Leader

**Eaglestar** \- brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat (*two only*)

Deputy

Warriors

**Swiftfang** \- gold and white she-cat with gold eyes

(Apprentice: **Fadingpaw**)

Apprentices (*One more litter needed*)

**Fadingpaw** \- small dark gray she-cat with light green eyes {Age: 7 moons}

Queens (*Two only - one with kits*)

Elders

()()()

About Rockclan

_Rockclan cats hunt on rocks and fit their smalls paws into crevices to catch prey. Despite their elegant paws, this clan has mostly bigger cats that can wrestle enemies to the ground easily. They are very loyal to the warrior code and their clan. On a good day, apprentices and kits play-wrestle in the clearing, and elders lie in the sun. However, on bad days Rockclan cats can be tense and hostile, sending a silence to settle among the clearing._

**Rockclan**

Leader

**Strongstar** \- gray tabby tom with amber eyes and a white chest, muzzle and paws

Medicine Cat (*One only*)

Deputy

Warriors

Apprentices (*Two litters*)

Queens (*Two only - two with kits*)

Elders

()()()

About Fieldclan

_Fieldclan hunts on a flat stretch of grassy plains. They go out at dusk and dawn, their steps so quiet that they are undetectable. Fast and nimble, this clan is smart and can ambush enemies. They enjoy hunting and playing with each other in their spare time, chasing each other across the clearing joyfully as the whole clan launches into one big game of tag._

**Fieldclan**

Leader

**Heatherstar** \- fawn she-cat with light green eyes and dark brown markings on her chest

Medicine Cat (*One only*)

Medicine Cat Apprentice (*One only*)

Deputy

Warriors

**Volepounce** \- light ginger tabby she-cat with light green eyes

**Darkbolt** \- lean black she-cat with yellow eyes

Apprentices (*One litter*)

Queens (*Three only - two or three with kits*)

Elders

**Sunheart** \- black tom with yellow eyes and a white patch on his chest and belly

()()()

About Cats Outside The Clans

_Most cats outside the clans are split up into three groups; kittypets, rogues or loners. _

_Kittypets originate in many different places, some being picked up off the street, others being found in twoleg shelters or given from one twoleg to another. Some kittypets are entered into competitions by cat breeders, but most are kept as house cats. They are treated to a life of luxury - they don't have to hunt for food and they always have a decent shelter that's warm._

_Rogues are strays that mostly stay in one place, are territorial, and live in a group with other cats like the clan cats. However, rogues do not live by a code like clan cats do. They don't have a medicine cat or care for their elders, youth and queens and do not keep stable borders with scent markers or patrols._

_Loners are strays like rogues, but they are very different. They occasionally wander around and they do not travel with companions often. They are usually calmer because they aren't protecting territory._

**Cats Outside The Clans**

**Legend** \- blue-gray tom with scars on his long tail and yellow eyes (rogue)

**Corrosion** \- dark brown she-cat with darker spots (rogue)

**Saturn** \- ginger-brown she-cat with green eyes (rogue)

**Zero** \- black and white tom with light blue eyes (rogue)

**Minnie** \- calico she-cat with copper eyes (loner)

**Skittles** \- cream tom with wide amber eyes and folded ears (kittypet)

**Lunaria** \- white she-cat with darker tips on her fur, yellow eyes and a flat face (show cat - kittypet)

**Trouble** \- rainbow coloured tom with spiky fur and green eyes (former show cat - kittypet)

()()()

Why did I add characters myself?

**Some characters are based on real life cats**.

Sunheart, Volepounce and Darkbolt are my pets. I'm possibly planning on adding more characters like this, but not alive ones.

**Balance**.

I don't want people making the leaders. I just don't.

**A proper starting point.**

Adding Fadingpaw and Swiftfang was to give me something to work with, and to start the story up properly. The better the foundation, the easier it is for me to work!

()()()

**Author's note. :)**

**The perspectives of cats will go in this order as the following; Fadingpaw, Rockclan apprentice, Fieldclan kit/apprentice.**

**Happy Reading and OC submitting!**

**May the best apprentice and kit/apprentice become a protagonist!**


	2. (Fading) Chapter One: Water

**ALERT! IN DIRE NEED OF ROCKCLAN CATS. A CERTAIN P.O.V. IS COMING UP! :3**

**Responding to reviews.**

**AviRay: do whatever I want to Aspencloud? Well, I'll put her in Rockclan! They've got space.**

**Animal4Life: Thanks!**

**Jack The Dragon: Thank you. Quick note - to fit in with the story, Frostbane isn't going to have an apprentice. Pinepaw will be Pineheart, and Snowpaw will be his littermate.**

** : Yay, first review! And of course I will accept your OC. She's awesome!**

Chapter one: Water

"Fadingpaw!"

The freezing river gave her a cold embrace as she crashed down with a splash. Her scream was cut off as her head dunked under the surface.

Fadingpaw frantically swam to the surface, her lungs crying out for air. She coughed, spitting out pools of liquid before she fell under again.

She could hear the angry cries of her clanmates in the distance, drowned out by the swirled water around her, but at that moment, she really didn't care. She swam up to the surface yet again and took a deep breath.

To her surprise, floating along the river was fairly fun. Well… minus the fact that she couldn't breathe half the time.

_I wonder if I could learn to fish. Is fishing good? Maybe I could _be_ a fish. Maybe I could grow gils if I stay under water long enough,_ she thought. _Then I could call cats minnowbrains and eat carp. But if I was a fish, would that cannibalism if I ate another fish?_

Then came the crash, cutting into her thoughts. The water shook behind her, sending Fadingpaw down into the river yet again with a surprised squeal.

Strong jaws clamped around her scruff, dragging her upwards and towards the light. Fadingpaw wriggled, trying to lessen the cat's painful grip on her scruff.

"Stop moving," the tom commanded with a hiss. "Do you want to drown?"

"Not at the moment," Fadingpaw responded, which earned her a sharp tug from her savior.

"Ow! I'm just joking!"

With a grunt, the Blossomclan cat grabbed onto a root that jutted out of the water. He clawed his way up the slippery bark. He jumped, grabbing onto the bank and throwing her up. Fadingpaw's side hit the ground and there she lay, panting. The white tom grabbed at the edge before pulling himself up beside her, his fur streaming with water.

Fadingpaw blinked as she looked down at the surface she was lying on. She'd floated very far in the river. This was the grass where they were last patrolling.

Something inside of her almost felt it was funny. She giggled randomly.

"Fadingpaw!" A sharp mew came from above. She tried to stop herself from groaning. _Swiftfang!_ She stopped laughing and shut her mouth.

"You're laughing! You could have died hadn't Frostbane not saved you!" Her mentor spat.

"But I didn't know that I'd fall into the river!" Fadingpaw protested.

The moment she said it, Fadingpaw wished she could take it back. Swiftfang's eyes were about ready to pop out of her head.

"You're in trouble! ELDERS TICKS FOR A MOON!" Swiftfang snarled, yanking Fadingpaw up by the scruff.

"Yow!" Fadingpaw cried. "Frostbane has already given me a bruise there!"

"You wouldn't have a bruise if you had a brain!" Swiftfang snapped. "We're going to camp. I'll talk to you later. Right now I'm too angry to deal with you."

Swiftfang stomped away, the rest of the patrol following. Fadingpaw padded behind them, tail drooping.

She couldn't see why the clans had to fight like this. Weren't Blossomclan cats always talking like, 'learn to be friends,' and like, 'unity gives us immunity'? Or did these rules only apply to themselves? If they hadn't been on a battle patrol, she wouldn't have gotten in as much trouble as she did. At least she was smart enough to see that.

"Don't endanger yourself."

Fadingpaw turned around to see Frostbane staring down at her. Sadness flickered through his eyes for a moment, then he turned away.

Fadingpaw shivered, half from cold, half from the grief in his eyes.

She kept walking, pushing him out of her mind as much as she could. She had other things to think about.

They were nearing camp now, a dip in the meadow on Blossomclan territory, and Fadingpaw started to get nervous.

_What if Swiftfang doesn't let me go to the Gathering? What happens then?_

She desperately wanted to go. She'd heard news from the elders, but that was nothing compared to experiencing it herself.

_I can meet the clan leaders. I'll see many new cats. There's other apprentices._

As they passed through the camp entrance, some cats turned to look at them in curiosity and astonishment.

"What happened?" Wolffang, clan deputy, demanded in surprise as he stared at the patrol of unhurt cats. "Yes, I expected an agreement to be made, but not that quickly!"

Swiftfang narrowed her eyes. She walked up to him with long, graceful strides then stopped abrubtly. Her voice was cold as she spoke.

"We have matters to discuss." The golden and white she-cat turned back to Fadingpaw. "Go to the apprentices' den and don't come out until someone comes to get you."

Fadingpaw nodded, relieved that Swiftfang hadn't mentioned anything about a Gathering or scolded her again. She made her way to the apprentices' den.

The apprentices' den was a fairly big den, despite there being only three cats that slept inside. It was dug into the tall grass. Woven reeds, brambles and mud were bound together for the roof. It hadn't used to be like this - it was formerly a tunnel underground - but Archedpaw's mother insisted it be changed.

Fadingpaw ducked inside. Surprisingly, a gray tom sat in the corner, grooming his paws. He looked up to see her. "Fadingpaw?"

"What are you doing here, Graypaw? I thought Wolffang would've sent you on a patrol." Fadingpaw walked over to him.

"He sent Archedpaw on a hunting patrol," he responded.

"Not surprising," Fadingpaw murmured. "She must be so furious at Rockclan that she'd shred them at the first glance she'd get. They set the bait, after all."

Graypaw looked over at her, his gaze sharp. "Do you believe that? Do you believe that they put that rabbit there?"

"Archedpaw thinks so. And she has the right to think that. After all, the foxes - "

Fadingpaw let out a yelp as she was pushed to the ground abruptly. Graypaw stood over her, his icy blues eyes lit angrily like flames.

"Don't you say what I think you're going to say," he hissed. "I'm tired of cats saying that."

"What, that your sister is - "

Graypaw put a paw on her mouth, stopped her from finishing her sentence.

"Yes, that! We were on this Fieldclan border patrol once and one of the Fieldclan cats asked, 'what happened to her'? Well, it was none of their mousebrained business! Neither is it any cat's! Archedpaw is normal." He practically screeched the words.

That's when Fadingpaw spotted a very thin black cat at the entrance. She nudged Graypaw.

The gray tom turned around, embarrassment clear on his face. "Oh, hi, Archedpaw!"

"What you yelling?" she mumbled quietly, her voice barely decipherable.

Graypaw looked even more embarrassed. "Nothing, nothing."

Archedpaw muttered something, then walked over to the other side of the den and collapsed into her nest.

Graypaw stayed silent for a moment, then mewed kindly, "Do you still want to talk?"

Fadingpaw shook her head, thinking about Swiftfang's anger when she fell into the stream. _When Graypaw and Archedpaw hear about that, what will they think?_

Then her worries disappeared. _It's fine. It probably won't matter. At least I had fun. _

"Fadingpaw?"

She raised her head. "Yes?" There was a warrior standing at the den entrance. "What do you need me for?"

But she had a feeling she already knew. And she did.

"Swiftfang has to tell you something."

()()()

_Italics _\- newer characters

**Bold** \- older characters

**Blossomclan**

Leader

**Eaglestar** \- brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat (*two only*)

Deputy

_Wolffang_ \- large gray and black tom

Warriors

**Swiftfang** \- gold and white she-cat with gold eyes

(Apprentice: **Fadingpaw**)

_Frostbane_ \- white tom with black ear tips

_Pineheart_ \- dark ginger tom with green eyes

Apprentices (Full!)

**Fadingpaw** \- small dark gray she-cat with light green eyes {7 moons}

_Archedpaw_ \- black she-cat whose missing an eye and part of her face {7 moons}

_Graypaw_ \- gray tabby tomcat with blue eyes and a white underbelly and paws {7 moons}

Queens (*Two only - one with kits*)

Elders

()()()

**Rockclan**

Leader

**Strongstar** \- gray tabby tom with amber eyes and a white chest, muzzle and paws

Medicine Cat (*One only*)

Deputy

Warriors

_Aspencloud_ \- golden she-cat with a white underbelly and tail tip

Apprentices (*Two litters*)

Queens (*Two only - two with kits*)

Elders

()()()

**Fieldclan**

Leader

**Heatherstar** \- fawn she-cat with light green eyes and dark brown markings on her chest

Medicine Cat (*One only*)

Medicine Cat Apprentice (Full!)

_Softpaw_ \- small white she-cat with pale blue eyes {12 moons}

Deputy

_Duskfur_ \- Dusty brown tom with blue eyes

Warriors

**Volepounce** \- light ginger tabby she-cat with light green eyes

**Darkbolt** \- lean black she-cat with yellow eyes

Apprentices (Full!)

_Logpaw_ \- ginger and black tom {12 moons}

_Storkpaw_ \- black and light gray tom {12 moons}

Queens (*Two only - one or two with kits*)

_Olivetail _\- soft calico she-cat with pale green eyes (Kits: _Webkit_ \- dark ginger tabby tom kit with amber eyes, _Turtlekit_ \- light brown she-kit with feathery whiskers, _Maplekit_ \- dark red and creamy-tabby she-cat with midnight blue eyes)

Elders

**Sunheart** \- black tom with yellow eyes and a white patch on his chest and belly

_Thanks to , Jack The Dragon, Animal4Life and AviRay for their OCs!_


	3. (Night) Chapter Two: On The Other Side

**Now we need Fieldclan and Blossomclan OCs XD. A spot is still open for a Fieldclan queen with kits, if you want to submit a possible future protagonist… just make sure there isn't already someone who has submitted for that spot!**

**Also, this chapter was ready on Wednesday, I just didn't have time to publish it. Sorry about that.**

**Reply to reviews**

** : Even though you didn't review, I have to say something. Sorry for not checking over the document! I should've made sure that your name wasn't cut out.**

**Random Fan: Thank you so much! :D I'm glad you like the story. And since nobody else submitted apprentices for Rockclan, one of your characters is a protagonist!**

**Jack the Dragon and Animal4Life: Thanks for submitting!**

**The Imprisoned of Hell: Thank you! Lizardfang and Hollowkit will be in Fieldclan, because I think Hollowkit's personality would fit in great with this fun-loving clan.**

**Alright, let's begin.**

Chapter two: On The Other Side

Nightpaw walked out into the clearing. A frosty silence hung in the air. No cats sitting around. Nothing much was new.

"So are you ready?"

He turned around to see a golden tom. He had small, faint streaks of white in his medium length fur and sparkling green eyes like their mother. His long, pale whiskers moved a bit in the wind.

"What, for the battle?" Nightpaw got to his paws. His legs still held a faint ache from a couple days before, when their mentors had taken them running to strengthen themselves. "No, Goldenpaw, Blizzardear has a special task for me."

Goldenpaw looked amused. "So you're staying behind to do the elders' ticks?"

Nightpaw rolled his eyes. "Nope. Something else." He got down to the ground and stretched, his tail high in the air and his forepaws far out in front of him.

His littermate tried again, his voice excited. "Are you baiting prey? That sounds much better than getting my beautiful fur shredded!"

Rodents usually hid between the cracks in the rocks, especially when it was sweltering hot. Sometimes warriors would dangle seeds and grass over the stones to help them find food easier. Although they could also fit their paws into small gaps, using bait was quick and efficient.

Nightpaw sniffed, getting up. "We stopped doing that three moons ago, remember? Ever since Blossomclan started to freak out."

"That wasn't fair!" Goldenpaw mewed. "Just because we bait prey, doesn't mean one of us did it!"

"They found a Rockclan cat's scent on it, don't be mousebrained." Nightpaw started to walk towards the entrance.

Goldenpaw followed him.

"When I'm leader," he claimed, "I will take all the territory away from Blossomclan and force them to live with Fieldclan!"

Nightpaw sighed. "Just stop it. You're losing intelligence by speaking!"

The gold tom let out a playful hiss of mock offense.

"I'm definitely smarter than _you_!"

"You wanna test that?"

"Sure thing!"

Goldenpaw lept at Nightpaw, but the black tom darted to the side, sending him crashing into the ground. Nightpaw stayed still and waited for his littermate to get up.

The other apprentice wore a look of disgust as he shook out his fur. Dust floated to the ground, and he looked up at Nightpaw.

"You'll pay for that!" he cried, and flung himself at his brother.

The young cat didn't have time to get away before he was pinned to the ground, throat and belly exposed to his 'enemy'.

Goldenpaw sneered. "I'm obviously the better apprentice! I'm smarter, too!"

"Fine," meowed Nightpaw. "You win."

He went limp, and Goldenpaw stood over him in triumph.

"Now I'll have to go announce my win to our mother! Come on!" he exclaimed, dashing away.

Nightpaw stayed still and held his breath, waiting for Goldenpaw to come back. He closed his eyes and stayed quiet, his side pressed against the ground.

_You've won? We'll see about that!_

His anticipation peaked even higher as he heard Goldenpaw mew, "Nightpaw?"

Pawsteps. On the ground.

Nightpaw didn't move, even though he was jumping around on the inside like a rabbit. Hop. Hop. Then he'd… leap!

"Nightpaw, are you okay?"

Goldenpaw was standing beside him now. He felt a paw on his shoulder.

"Nightpaw, Nightpaw!" His littermate's voice sounded a bit worried. The black tom could faintly feel Goldenpaw's breath in his ear. The apprentice was crouched beside him.

Nightpaw stayed limp. _You're in for a surprise…_

"Nightpaw?" Goldenpaw repeated, concern fully in his voice. "Are you - "

"_RRRAAAAHHHHH_!" Nightpaw shouted, leaping to his paws, his eyes fully open.

"AAHHH!" Goldenpaw screeched in surprise. He'd jumped a good four feet in the air, and his fur was fluffed up all the way. He came back down again, then realized what had happened. His muscles relaxed and his eyes widened like green moons. "Oh, you're okay!"

Nightpaw laughed. "You should've seen the look on your face!"

Goldenpaw sniffed. "Hilarious. Now let's get going before our mentors get annoyed - the battle is coming up very soon."

So he followed Goldenpaw to the camp entrance.

()()()

Blizzardear nodded to Nightpaw.

"Are you ready?"

Nightpaw let out a sigh, then meowed, "You're only assigning me this because I've got charms and I'm only nine moons, right?"

Blizzardear grunted.

"I expect you to behave yourself and not get caught. Alright? I'll be watching from the shadows in case you need anything."

Nightpaw nodded, and watched as Blizzardear moved back in the direction of camp. He knew that his mentor wasn't leaving him, just moving away to watch. Nightpaw gave another nod, took a deep breath, then sunk down into the grass.

He crept along the shoreline for a while until he spotted some cats.

_Blossomclan!_

Blizzardear had assigned him to spy on them from across the river. It was to see if they'd come, because the clan leaders didn't exactly trust each other.

He could see a gold and white she-cat, a white tom and a ginger tom, just to name a few. They all had petals in their fur from the wind. And then there was…

Nightpaw squinted a little bit. There was a pretty dark gray she-cat that looked much younger than the rest. She was staring over at a blossom tree almost longingly.

_What is she doing?_

She moved closer to it, then looked at her clanmates. Then she turned her head and glanced across the river, her light green eyes curious.

Nightpaw flattened his ears and ducked into the grass. His belly brushed against the ground. His heart gave a big thump.

_She didn't see me, did she? She looked straight at me! What if she tells her clanmates?_

But the apprentice didn't seem to be paying attention. She grabbed onto the bark of the tree.

_She's climbing it,_ Nightpaw realized. She gripped it her other paw surprisingly smoothly for her age. Blossomclan must have trained their apprentices to climb trees very quickly, in case of danger. Or foxes…

Then the dark gray she-cat reached the branch and sunk into a crouch. She wrapped her forepaws around the unscarred bark. Nightpaw watched in amazement as she gently lowered herself down until she was dangling above that water.

_What is she doing?_ he wondered. _Is she crazy?_

The gold and white she-cat ahead of her whipped around so fast that the petals fell out of her fur.

"Fadingpaw! Get down from there right now!" she snapped.

_So that's her name,_ Nightpaw thought. _There's not much fade about her though. Her pelt is a solid colour._

Fadingpaw moved away from the gold and white she-cat and towards the edge of the branch. It sagged a bit.

"No! Get away from there!" The warrior yowled. She sunk her claws into the bark, following Fadingpaw.

The apprentice let out a yelp of terror as she slipped. And for one horrible, long moment, she was in the air.

Then she fell into the stream below and hit with a crash, sending water and mist into the air.

Nightpaw's eyes widened in horror. He wanted to yell something, but he bit back his words and turned away. This was Blossomclan's problem. Not his.

He ran into the small section of forest on Rockclan territory then stopped, panting. His legs ached even more now from running again. He was kind of glad he didn't have to fight.

"Blizzardear," he called. He was out of sight of the river now.

The dark ginger tom dashed over, his head raised in interest. He wondered if Blizzardear's legs hurt too, but he doubted it. There was also a mouse in his mouth, it's body limp. "What have you got to report, apprentice?"

Nightpaw bit his lip, then spoke.

"The Blossomclan patrol has turned around and gone back to camp."

()()()

_Italics _\- newer characters

**Bold** \- older characters

**Blossomclan**

Leader

**Eaglestar** \- brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat (*one more*)

_Adderclaw_ \- massive, long-furred dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Deputy

**Wolffang** \- large gray and black tom

Warriors

**Swiftfang** \- gold and white she-cat with gold eyes

(Apprentice: **Fadingpaw**)

**Frostbane** \- white tom with black ear tips

**Pineheart** \- dark ginger tom with green eyes

Apprentices (Full!)

**Fadingpaw** \- small dark gray she-cat with light green eyes {7 moons}

**Archedpaw** \- black she-cat whose missing an eye and part of her face {7 moons}

**Graypaw** \- gray tabby tomcat with blue eyes and a white underbelly and paws {7 moons}

Queens (*Two only - one with kits*)

Elders

()()()

**Rockclan**

Leader

**Strongstar** \- gray tabby tom with amber eyes and a white chest, muzzle and paws

Medicine Cat (Full!)

_Howldusk_ \- fluffy tuxedo she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy

Warriors

**Aspencloud** \- golden she-cat with a white underbelly and tail tip

_Firdbird_ \- orange she-cat with blue eyes

_Rainwisp_ \- she-cat with solid dark gray fur and blue eyes

_Blizzardear_ \- dark ginger tom with light amber eyes that appear pink.

(Apprentice, _Nightpaw_)

_Gorsethorn_ \- light brown tom with darker stripes and amber-yellow eyes

_Badgerpelt_ \- big black and white she-cat with gold eyes

_Lionwhiskers_ \- golden-brown tabby she-cat, leaf-green eyes

(Apprentice, _Goldenpaw_)

_Blackheart_ \- black tom with amber eyes

Apprentices (*One litter more*)

_Goldenpaw_ \- gold tom with green eyes {9 moons}

_Nightpaw_ \- black tom with green eyes {9 moons}

Queens (*Two only - two with kits*)

Elders

_Cloudclaw_ \- pure white tom with amber eyes

_Weedthorn_ \- large white and brown tom with green eyes and a black tail-tip

()()()

**Fieldclan**

Leader

**Heatherstar** \- fawn she-cat with light green eyes and dark brown markings on her chest

Medicine Cat (*One only*)

Medicine Cat Apprentice (Full!)

**Softpaw** \- small white she-cat with pale blue eyes *twelve moons*

Deputy

**Duskfur** \- Dusty brown tom with blue eyes

Warriors

**Volepounce** \- light ginger tabby she-cat with light green eyes

**Darkbolt** \- lean black she-cat with yellow eyes

Apprentices (Full!)

**Logpaw** \- ginger and black tom {12 moons}

**Storkpaw** \- black and light gray tom {12 moons}

Queens (*One more only - with kits*)

**Olivetail**\- soft calico she-cat with pale green eyes (Kits: **Webkit** \- dark ginger tabby tom kit with amber eyes, **Turtlekit** \- light brown she-kit with feathery whiskers, **Maplekit** \- dark red and creamy-tabby she-cat with midnight blue eyes)

_Lizardfang_ \- pale brown tabby she-cat with a white underbelly and green eyes. (Kit: _Hollowkit_ \- gray tom kit with green eyes)

Elders

**Sunheart** \- black tom with yellow eyes and a white patch on his chest and belly

()()()

**My cat speaks… help making extremely amazing awesome OCs. :)**

**Darkbolt: Hey! You! Want to make an amazing OC with cool traits? I've been noticing that people use the words 'kind' or 'nice' to describe their characters, which is not necessarily a bad thing. But what makes them kind? Or maybe your character isn't nice at all, and has traits other than that. Try to keep them balanced with positive and negative - this keeps them believable!**

**Darkbolt: Here ya go, a list to help you:**

**Accepting, Affectionate, Aggressive, Aloof, Ambitious, Antisocial, Arrogant, Blunt, Boastful, Bossy, Brave, Charming, Cheerful, Clingy, Cold, Confident, Considerate, Courteous, Cowardly, Curious, Daring, Decisive, Determined, Emotional, Empathetic, Energetic, Forgiving, Frank, Friendly, Fussy, Generous, Greedy, Grumpy, Harsh, Helpful, Honest, Humourous, Impatient, Impulsive, Inconsiderate, Indecisive, Intelligent, Irritable, Killjoy, Lazy, Loyal, Loud, Mischievous, Moody, Negative, Optimistic, Passionate, Patient, Picky, Playful, Polite, Positive, Practical, Quiet, Reliable, Reserved, Resourceful, Rude, Selfish, Sensitive, Serious, Sincere, Shy, Strict, Stubborn, Thoughtful, Upbeat, Vain, Vengeful, Wise, Witty**

**Darkbolt: Me? Well, what am I like, you ask? You'll see in the upcoming chapters! Keep submitting! Love you all! :3**


	4. (Maple) Chapter Three: Apprenticed

**Another chappie! Yay! **

**Sorry if it sounds like I've been begging for OCs. Cause I am, XD **

**So you know: I've tweaked the Allegiances a bit, and I'm satisfied. Not the cats or their placement, but the list itself. You'll see down below.**

**Reply to reviews**

**Animal4Life: A certain cat you submitted is now a protagonist!**

**Crimson: I'll just call you Crimson to avoid trouble, lol. And thanks for submitting OCs.**

**Jack the Dragon: Wow, you've submitted for every clan!**

**Random Fan: Thank you for… well, loving my story! I made Goldenpaw fussy in addition to his usual traits, and it's working out great. And also - \\_/ virtual cup for virtual milk and cookies, now I just need the milk.**

(Maple) Chapter three: Apprenticed

"And the fox burst out of the ground, sending soil flying everywhere! Hilltail took a step back, suddenly frightened. He could see its teeth shining in the sun's rays, it's yellow eyes glinting viciously…"

Maplekit's eyes widened as she listened to Sunheart tell the story of young Hilltail, a fictional Fieldclan warrior that he'd created.

_He's the best storyteller in all the clans!_ she thought, listening as he continued.

"The fox let out a big growl! Hilltail didn't know how he'd fight a fox as big and mighty as this one. The fox took a step forward, it's mouth opened, ready to bite him…"

Webkit shivered.

"Please tell me Hilltail kills the fox!" he begged desperately. "Foxes are so scary and mean."

Turtlekit snorted, looking over at her brother with a sidelong glance.

"Don't be a featherbrain! It's only a story, for Starclan's sake," she hissed. "And we're almost apprentices! What kind of apprentice is scared of a story?"

"She's right," Sunheart agreed softly. "There's no need to be scared. There aren't any foxes on Fieldclan territory."

The kit trembled still, and Sunheart reached over and gave Webkit a friendly lick.

"That's enough for today," he mewed. "Go and play."

Maplekit's littermates dashed out of the den, leaving her behind. She turned to Sunheart eagerly.

"Finish the story!" she begged. "I want to know what happens next."

The black tom shook his head slowly.

"Sorry. I'll tell you later."

"Please?"

"No, you have to go."

"Pretty please?"

Sunheart sighed, opening his jaws to speak again, but a call rang out, cutting him off.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather by the Great Log for a clan meeting!"

The elder turned to her. He had big yellow eyes with tiny brown specks in them, and a soft gaze. On his chest there was a white patch that looked like a heart. He was named after that patch and his personality. It suited him well.

"It seems like your time has come."

Maplekit gasped.

_My apprentice ceremony? Now? Really?_

"Will you watch me?" she asked.

Sunheart's eyes brightened.

"Of course I'll be watching, Maplekit. Why wouldn't I?"

"Good," Maplekit meowed, then turned and dashed over to the den entrance.

It was a sunny day, but windy, one of Maplekit's favourite kinds of days. It was a decent day for grass, especially. She could tear some grass out of the ground, hold it up, then watch it fly right into one of her littermates's faces. That was one of her favourite tricks to pull, and it usually ended with the victim sneezing.

The clearing was full of cats. Cats grooming, cats playing, cats socializing - all of them ready to watch her. A variety of pelts and eyes. Excitement. Anticipation.

Cats.

But there was one cat in the middle of the clearing that Maplekit didn't recognize. It was a long-furred tortoiseshell, but instead of it's colours being ginger and black, they were slightly more washed out, more like a dark brown and a light ginger. The tortoiseshell turned to look at her… or maybe slightly beside her.

Maplekit looked over at Sunheart, who was standing right next to her, his eyes wide. When she looked back at the tortoiseshell, however, she found that it had vanished without a trace.

"Whoa…" Maplekit murmured, astonished. "Did you see that? Who was that?"

Sunheart was still staring at the spot the cat had disappeared. "I… I'm not sure. Maybe a cat from Starclan came down to bless you."

Maplekit sat beside him for a moment longer, then heard Turtlekit call, "Maplekit! Get over here! It's very important! You don't want to miss your own ceremony, do you?"

"Coming!" The red and white she-cat chirped. Then she turned to Sunheart. "See you!"

When she got to her littermates, Turtlekit flicked her tail to the leader, who sat tall on the log. "I think our older brothers are becoming warriors and we're becoming apprentices."

"We are."

A black tom with light gray patches came rushing over, a satisfied look on his face.

"And you're still stuck as kits."

Turtlekit scowled.

"Who said?"

The light brown fur on her shoulders started to rise and she growled. Then their leader spoke at the perfect time yet again. "Storkpaw! Logpaw! Come forward."

Storkpaw turned away and padded over to Heatherstar. The fawn she-cat had her tail wrapped over her paws calmly. She was perched right on the Great Log gracefully.

The leader waited until Storkpaw reached her, then began to speak. Logpaw was already looking up at her, waiting.

"I, Heatherstar, leader of Fieldclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn."

Storkpaw raised his head in confidence as he looked up at her. Beside him, Logpaw quivered in nervousness.

Heatherstar continued, "Storkpaw, Logpaw. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to defend your Clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

"I do." Storkpaw nodded.

"I do," Logpaw echoed.

Maplekit looked at the crowd and spotted Duskfur. The deputy's eyes shone with pride. Next to him, Olivetail purred, rubbing her cheek against his as they watched their son.

_They'll be watching me, soon,_ she thought.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you warrior names. Storkpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Storkflight. StarClan honors your courage and skill in battle, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Fieldclan. Logpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Logflame. Starclan honors your intelligence and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Fieldclan."

Storkflight smiled in what looked like a half smirk. Logflame joined his smile, but his expression looked less mean and more shocked.

"Storkflight, Logflame!" The clan cheered, but apparently that wasn't enough for their leader.

"Let's hear that again!" Heatherstar yowled. "Louder!"

"STORKFLIGHT, LOGFLAME!"

The clan roared so loud that Maplekit was sure that Blossomclan and Rockclan could hear them! She joined in with the whole of Fieldclan, happy for her brothers. She could hear Softpaw cheering encouragingly too, although her voice was a bit quiet.

Some cat started laughing in the crowd, another cat let out a yowl of triumph. Storkflight seemed to be soaking up the attention, his mouth stretching wider the more cats praised him.

"Enough!" Heatherstar called, and the whole clan went quiet. It was surprising to Maplekit how quickly the leader could get them to shut their mouths. "Now we have new apprentices. Turtlekit, Webkit, Maplekit. Come forward."

_Yes! It's time!_

"Turtlekit," Heatherstar began, beckoning the young she-cat forward, "you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Turtlepaw. Your mentor will be Badgerfrost. I trust that he will pass down all he knows on to you. Badgerfrost!"

The black and gray tom looked surprised, but he got to his paws and walked over the the Great Log.

"You are ready to take on an apprentice. You have shown yourself to be honourable and brave. You will be the mentor of Turtlepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

Maplekit watched as Turtlepaw walked over to touch noses with him. She looked a little small in comparison, but mostly because she had just became an apprentice.

Maplekit turned to the crowd, wondering who she'd get. Mistytail looked like a good cat, but she didn't want to get her hopes up too high.

Heatherstar kept going.

"Webkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Webpaw. Your mentor will be Darkbolt."

Maplekit jolted up, surprised. Darkbolt was a respected young warrior, and for good reason. She was a fantastic hunter, and could best anyone at fighting.

"Darkbolt will pass down all she knows on to you. Darkbolt."

The lean, black she-cat walked forward. She was slightly small, like most Fieldclan cats, but she was definitely intimidating. Her yellow eyes, although more green than Sunheart's, held a definite fire. She dipped her head to Heatherstar.

"You are ready to take on an apprentice. You have shown yourself to be extremely skilled and talented, so you will be the mentor of Webpaw. I expect you to pass on all you know to him."

As she watched them touched noses, Maplekit felt a pang of jealousy.

_I want to have a mentor like that!_

Webpaw, eyes bright, moved to the side. Maplekit, the last one to become an apprentice, looked up at Heatherstar expectantly, already knowing what was going to happen next.

Well, she thought so, anyway.

"Maplekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Maplepaw. Your mentor will be Volepounce…"

Maplepaw hardly heard the rest. _Wait, what did she just say? _Volepounce_?_

The huge light ginger she-cat stepped forwards, her dull green eyes fixed on Maplepaw. Her fur was matted and dirty, as if she hadn't groomed herself. She looked old and ragged, more like an elder than Sunheart.

_She's snappy, smelly and mean! I don't want her as my mentor._

"Volepounce, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have shown yourself to be strict and wise. You will be the mentor of Maplepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

Maplepaw held her breath as she touched noses with Volepounce, but to her surprise, the she-cat wasn't as stinky as she thought she would be.

"Turtlepaw! Webpaw! Maplepaw!"

She hardly heard though.

_I got _Volepounce _as a mentor. What was Heatherstar thinking?_

Maplepaw glanced up to see Volepounce looking at some cat past her shoulder with hostility.

The red and white she-cat found herself shivering, even though Volepounce wasn't glaring at her like that. The old warrior grunted, then meowed, "I'm going to talk with someone else for a moment, apprentice. Stay here."

Maplepaw did. Her feet were frozen to the spot, and her mouth felt dry.

What if Volepounce wasn't the right mentor for her? What if she couldn't become a warrior?

()()()

Later that day, Volepounce took Maplepaw into the forest with Webpaw and Darkbolt. Volepounce didn't say much to her, and Maplepaw was too scared to talk to her anyways.

"Hey, Darkbolt, you there yet?" Volepounce snapped impatiently from behind Maplepaw. She was at the back of their four cat group.

"We'll be there in a moment!" Darkbolt hissed back. Her black fur was bristling angrily.

They kept walking for a bit until they came to a sandy circle.

Darkbolt sat down neatly in the middle, gave her chest a lick, then began. "Alright. Today we'll be learning a bit of fighting skills. These are very useful, especially with - "

"But I thought we were teaching them how to hunt!" Volepounce snarled.

Darkbolt growled. "No, fighting is what we agreed to."

"No, we were going to go hunting!" Volepounce objected, tail lashing.

Darkbolt narrowed her eyes. "Mousebrain!"

Maplepaw started to get nervous as they started hurling insults at each other.

"Do they usually do this?" Webpaw whispered to her.

She didn't have an answer.

"Crowfood eater!"

"Foxheart!"

Volepounce gasped.

"How dare you call me a foxheart!"

"What's wrong with calling you a foxheart? You are one," Darkbolt meowed savagely.

Volepounce growled. "I've had enough!"

Then, Maplepaw's mentor leaped.

Volepounce grabbed onto Darkbolt's shoulders, attempting to drag her down, but the black she-cat slipped out of her grip, smirking. Then Volepounce cuffed her ear, and Darkbolt staggered backwards. Volepounce seized the opportunity, knocking her to the ground.

Maplepaw watched in shock.

_Do normal mentors fight like this?_ she thought.

Darkbolt rolled away as Volepounce was about to leap onto her, sending the older she-cat crashing into the sand. Darkbolt got to her paws, shaking out her fur and ridding it of sand.

"Loser," she taunted.

Volepounce, furious, leaped up and hit Darkbolt in the side, sending her flying into the ground. Volepounce loomed over Darkbolt for a moment, hesitating, but that was all it took for the black she-cat to roll onto her back and repeatedly kick Volepounce's belly with her paws. The light ginger she-cat moved backwards with a grunt of pain.

_Volepounce is bigger and more experienced,_ Maplepaw realized, _but Darkbolt is smarter._

Without a moment to waste, Darkbolt wrestled Volepounce to the ground. She pinned the writhing cat by the shoulders, and within a few moments, Volepounce grunted in submission.

"Get off of me, you fifty rat," she hissed.

Darkbolt backed away to let Volepounce get up, then turned to the apprentices.

She looked dead calm like nothing had ever happened, no conflict had ever started.

Then she spoke.

"That's how you win a fight. Any questions?"

()()()

_Italics _\- newer characters

**Bold** \- older characters

**Open**! marks what you can submit OCs for.

* marks requirements for OCs, such as amount.

()()()

**Blossomclan (9 cats)**

Leader

**Eaglestar** \- brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat (**Open**! *One more*)

**Adderclaw** \- massive long-furred dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Deputy

**Wolffang** \- large gray and black tom

Warriors (**Open**!)

**Swiftfang** \- gold and white she-cat with gold eyes

(Apprentice: **Fadingpaw**)

**Frostbane** \- white tom with black ear tips

**Pineheart** \- dark ginger tom with green eyes

Apprentices

**Fadingpaw** \- small dark gray she-cat with light green eyes {Age: 7 moons}

**Archedpaw** \- black she-cat whose missing an eye and part of her face {7 moons}

**Graypaw** \- gray tabby tomcat with blue eyes and a white underbelly and paws {7 moons}

Queens (**Open**! *Two only - one with kits*)

Elders (**Open**!)

()()()

**Rockclan (18 cats)**

Leader

**Strongstar** \- gray tabby tom with amber eyes and a white chest, muzzle and paws

Medicine Cat

**Howldusk** \- fluffy tuxedo she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy (**Open**!)

Warriors

**Aspencloud** \- golden she-cat with a white underbelly and tail tip

**Firdbird** \- orange she-cat with blue eyes

**Rainwisp** \- she-cat with solid dark gray fur and blue eyes

**Blizzardear** \- dark ginger tom with light amber eyes that appear pink.

(Apprentice, **Nightpaw**)

**Gorsethorn** \- light brown tom with darker stripes and amber-yellow eyes

**Badgerpelt** \- big black and white she-cat with gold eyes

**Lionwhiskers** \- golden-brown tabby she-cat, leaf-green eyes

(Apprentice, **Goldenpaw**)

**Blackheart** \- black tom with amber eyes

_Sharpwhistle_ \- tall black tabby tom with white paws and piercing yellow eyes

Apprentices

**Goldenpaw** \- gold tom with green eyes {9 moons}

**Nightpaw** \- black tom with green eyes {9 moons}

Queens (**Open**! *One more only - without kits*)

_Berrysight_ \- small white she-cat with gray patches and icy blue eyes. (5 moon old kits: _Ashkit_ \- small, misty gray mottled she-kit with darker flecks and mix-coloured eyes. _Shellkit _\- long-furred white she-cat with mist-gray dapples and yellowish-green eyes)

Elders

**Cloudclaw** \- pure white tom with amber eyes

**Weedthorn** \- large white and brown tom with green eyes and a black tail-tip

()()()

**Fieldclan (14 cats)**

Leader

**Heatherstar** \- fawn she-cat with light green eyes and dark brown markings on her chest

Medicine Cat (**Open**! *One only*)

Medicine Cat Apprentice

**Softpaw** \- small white she-cat with pale blue eyes *twelve moons*

Deputy

**Duskfur** \- Dusty brown tom with blue eyes

Warriors (**Open**!)

**Volepounce** \- light ginger tabby she-cat with light green eyes

**Darkbolt** \- lean black she-cat with yellow eyes

_Badgerfrost_ \- Grey and black tom with a white underbelly and paws.

_Mistytail_ \- mist gray she-cat with yellow eyes

Apprentices

**Logpaw** \- ginger and black tom {12 moons}

**Storkpaw** \- black and light gray tom {12 moons}

Queens (**Open**! *One more only - with kits*)

**Olivetail**\- soft calico she-cat with pale green eyes (6 moon old kits: **Webkit** \- dark ginger tabby tom kit with amber eyes, **Turtlekit** \- light brown she-kit with feathery whiskers, **Maplekit** \- dark red and creamy-tabby she-cat with midnight blue eyes)

**Lizardfang** \- pale brown tabby she-cat with a white underbelly and green eyes. (4 moon old kit: **Hollowkit** \- gray tom kit with green eyes)

Elders

**Sunheart** \- black tom with yellow eyes and a white patch on his chest and belly

()()()

_Thanks to Crimson, Jack the Dragon, Animal4Life, AviRay, Random Fan and The Imprisoned of Hell for OCs!_

_I have a feeling the list will keep getting longer..._


	5. (Fading) Chapter Four: Wings On A Worm

**Small chapter, but gives you a bit more. Here you are - yours to read.**

**Reply to reviews**

**The Imprisoned Of Hell: We recently had another Blossomclan medicine cat submitted after yours (actually, two. Another from Tacocat). I usually would move their OC instead, but I have decided to move your OC. Sparktail is now in Fieldclan because it works better that way. Thank you!**

**Tacocat: I've made a few changes. Your medicine cat is a warrior, and your queen is expecting. Thanks for submitting them!**

**Jack the Dragon: Thanks! Wow, you're still submitting! XD**

**Random Fan: Couldn't fit your OCs in this time to the Allegiances - I'll get to that next chapter. And also, Darkbolt and Volepounce are my cats! They're total weirdos. Darkbolt loves making these weird trills that sound like **_**brrrr**_**, and Volepounce enjoys licking the wall.**

(Fading) Chapter four: Wings On A Worm

"You're not going to the gathering."

Fadingpaw felt like she had swallowed a bunch of rocks.

"What? No… you can't be serious." Her jaw dropped.

The tom shook his head, then turned away from the den entrance, leaving the apprentices alone inside.

Graypaw turned to Fadingpaw and started to say something but she cut him off.

"Don't."

She stomped over to her nest. It had been made just yesterday by Graypaw. He'd refreshed the apprentices' den and nursery's nests as instructed. It was Fadingpaw's turn to do the warriors' den tomorrow, which she hated, but she'd been convinced that nothing could mess the day of the full moon because of the gathering.

Well, now she wasn't going to the gathering!

()()()

Fadingkit chased after the butterfly playfully, trying to swipe it with her paw, but it flew away.

"Come back!" she exclaimed, racing after it.

Then, from the side of her vision came a black blur. Archedkit jumped up and trapped the butterfly between her paws softly. "Got it!"

"Woah!" Fadingkit exclaimed. "Can I see?" She dashed over to the other kit, curious to look at it.

Archedkit opened her paws a little to display the cream butterfly. It had spots of black, and it was too yellow to be white. It also had a bit of gray. Archedkit opened her paws up even more, raising her forelegs to the sky. The butterfly broke out from her grasp, fluttering away, into the blue above.

Fadingkit watched in awe as it flew, farther and farther.

"It's beautiful…" she breathed.

Beside her, Archedkit nodded.

"The air is where it belongs, a creature as pretty as this. I wish I could fly." The black she-kit let out a sigh.

"Flying would be awesome!" Fadingkit agreed. "We could see the territories and the cats down below! But we can't make wings on a cat. The last time we tried that, Graykit got in trouble!"

"Wait!" Archedkit meowed. "Hold on…"

The she-kit lowered her head and sniffed the ground. Then she moved a little bit.

"What are you doing?" Fadingkit cocked her head to the side, confused.

Archedkit ignored her, and kept walking along the ground, sniffing as she went. Finally, she stopped. Digging her little claws into the ground, she pulled up a chunk of soil. From there, she stopped and held up a long, slimy creature.

"A worm!" The black she-kit exclaimed, showing it to Fadingkit.

"Woah!" Fadingkit gaped in astonishment. "How'd you find that?"

"Simple. You sniff for the wettest spot. Worms hate water," Archedkit replied.

"What are we doing with it?"

Archedkit gave a little excited bounce. "We're going to put wings on it!"

"A worm with wings?" Fadingkit gasped.

"Yeah! We're going to make it fly!"

()()()

Fadingpaw opened her eyes. It was dark, definitely night, she guessed. A steady patter of rain sounded outside.

The den's roof held up well, even though they'd made it with mud and reeds. When Fadingpaw was younger, she'd never had guessed that kind of thing would work. Wings on a worm wasn't possible, so how could that be?

At the far side of the den, Graypaw was sleeping silently, his flank rising and falling. _Almost like the waves on the river,_ Fadingpaw thought, remembering her fall from the tree. She'd messed up. Big time.

Fadingpaw flipped over to her other side, trying to get comfy. The side she hadn't been sleeping on was freezing cold. She shivered. At least her nest was warm.

At the other side of the den was Archedpaw. She slept facing the wall, and just as silent as her brother.

Fadingpaw sighed.

"Will we ever be as close as we once were?" she whispered into the darkness.

Archedpaw didn't move. Not that she was expecting the other apprentice to respond, anyways. Amazing how fast a fox could take something like that away from you.

How fast blood could spill.

How fast an apprentice could die, and three kits have their bond taken away from them.

So there, lying still, her only source of light from the moon, Fadingpaw made a plan.

()()()

_Italics _\- newer characters

**Bold** \- older characters

**Open**! marks what you can submit OCs for.

* marks requirements for OCs, such as amount.

**Blossomclan (12 cats)**

Leader

**Eaglestar** \- brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cats

**Adderclaw** \- massive long-furred dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

_Speckleface_ \- small orange she-cat with darker spots and blue eyes

Deputy

**Wolffang** \- large gray and black tom

Warriors (**Open**!)

**Swiftfang** \- gold and white she-cat with gold eyes

(Apprentice: **Fadingpaw**)

**Frostbane** \- white tom with black ear tips

**Pineheart** \- dark ginger tom with green eyes

Apprentices

**Fadingpaw** \- small dark gray she-cat with light green eyes {Age: 7 moons}

**Archedpaw** \- black she-cat whose missing an eye and part of her face {7 moons}

**Graypaw** \- gray tabby tomcat with blue eyes and a white underbelly and paws {7 moons}

Queens (**Open**! *One only - without kits*)

_Waspclaw_ \- black and white she-cat with a big ginger tabby patch on her face and blue eyes. (Three moon old kit: _Vinekit_ \- gray tom with blind green eyes)

Elders (**Open**!)

()()()

**Rockclan (18 cats)**

Leader

**Strongstar** \- gray tabby tom with amber eyes and a white chest, muzzle and paws

Medicine Cat

**Howldusk** \- fluffy tuxedo she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy (**Open**!)

Warriors

**Aspencloud** \- golden she-cat with a white underbelly and tail tip

**Firdbird** \- orange she-cat with blue eyes

**Rainwisp** \- she-cat with solid dark gray fur and blue eyes

**Blizzardear** \- dark ginger tom with light amber eyes that appear pink.

(Apprentice, **Nightpaw**)

**Gorsethorn** \- light brown tom with darker stripes and amber-yellow eyes

**Badgerpelt** \- big black and white she-cat with gold eyes

**Lionwhiskers** \- golden-brown tabby she-cat, leaf-green eyes

(Apprentice, **Goldenpaw**)

**Blackheart** \- black tom with amber eyes

**Sharpwhistle** \- tall black tabby tom with white paws and piercing yellow eyes

Apprentices

**Goldenpaw** \- gold tom with green eyes {9 moons}

**Nightpaw** \- black tom with green eyes {9 moons}

Queens (**Open**! *One more only - without kits*)

**Berrysight** \- small white she-cat with gray patches and icy blue eyes. (5 moon old kits: **Ashkit** \- small, misty gray mottled she-kit with darker flecks and mix-coloured eyes. **Shellkit**\- long-furred white she-kit with mist-gray dapples and yellowish-green eyes)

Elders

**Cloudclaw** \- pure white tom with amber eyes

**Weedthorn** \- large white and brown tom with green eyes and a black tail-tip

()()()

**Fieldclan (18 cats)**

Leader

**Heatherstar** \- fawn she-cat with light green eyes and dark brown markings on her chest

Medicine Cat

_Sparktail_ \- dark ginger she-cat with yellow eyes.

Medicine Cat Apprentice

**Softpaw** \- small white she-cat with pale blue eyes *twelve moons*

Deputy

**Duskfur** \- Dusty brown tom with blue eyes

Warriors (**Open**!)

**Volepounce** \- light ginger tabby she-cat with light green eyes

**Darkbolt** \- lean black she-cat with yellow eyes

**Badgerfrost** \- Grey and black tom with a white underbelly and paws.

**Mistytail** \- mist gray she-cat with yellow eyes

_Splinteredtooth_ \- Huge, thick-furred, tundra gray tabby tom with orange eyes

Apprentices

**Logpaw** \- ginger and black tom {12 moons}

**Storkpaw** \- black and light gray tom {12 moons}

Queens (**Open**! *One more only - with kits*)

**Olivetail**\- soft calico she-cat with pale green eyes (6 moon old kits: **Webkit** \- dark ginger tabby tom kit with amber eyes, **Turtlekit** \- light brown she-kit with feathery whiskers, **Maplekit** \- dark red and creamy-tabby she-kit with midnight blue eyes)

**Lizardfang** \- pale brown tabby she-cat with a white underbelly and green eyes. (4 moon old kit: **Hollowkit** \- gray tom kit with green eyes)

Elders

**Sunheart** \- black tom with yellow eyes and a white patch on his chest and belly


	6. (Night) Chapter Five: The Power Of Stars

**Sorry that the chapters have been short lately. I'll try to make them longer soon!**

**Jack the Dragon: Sorry about putting Gorsethorn in Rockclan. My mistake!**

**Reply to reviews**

**Random Fan: Who knows what Fadingpaw's plan is? We'll have to see…**

**Everyone who submitted OCs: Thanks! Much appreciated!**

(Night) Chapter five: With The Power Of Starclan

"How about this?"

"Nah, that mouse is too soggy."

"What about this mouse?"

"Same thing."

Sighing, Nightpaw sat back on his haunches. The rain last night had completely soaked the prey that they'd caught after the 'battle'.

"You know it's going to go bad if you don't eat it, right?" he murmured.

"Well if it's already going to mold and rot, throw it away!" Goldenpaw snorted, prodding one of the mice in the side. It rolled over limply.

"If it's molding, why are you touching it then?"

His littermate wrinkled his nose and made a face, sticking his tongue out as he jerked away from the prey.

Nightpaw rolled his eyes. Typical Goldenpaw. He got up, firmly grasping once of the mice in his jaws. "Fine, I'll eat an old mouse. Beats going hungry. You going to join me?"

"Bleh!" Goldenpaw mimed a bad impression of throwing up, making Nightpaw purr.

The mouse wasn't molding of course - it was just soaked and probably tasted like dirt. Nightpaw would've preferred it freshly caught, but the Rockclan deputy seemed to not have sent out a morning patrol.

"Nightpaw! What are you going to do, eat that?"

He turned around to see Aspencloud walking over to him.

"Well, what else do I eat?" he challenged. "Soggy mice are the only thing on the freshkill pile!"

Aspencloud snorted. "Let's go hunting for some betterprey. I'd really like to see how you're progressing in your training."

It would be weird if any other cat had said that, but Aspencloud was their mother. She had their eyes and Goldenpaw's gold. Nightpaw's fur and Goldenpaw's fluff had come from their father, a Rockclan warrior who they'd never known.

"I think you'll find my skills to be decent," Nightpaw replied formally, dipping his head to her.

"And mine even more so!" Goldenpaw exclaimed, running over, his tail puffed up. "I'm coming!"

Aspencloud sniffed. "As long as you don't scare away the prey with your nonsensical claims. I've already told the other warriors we're going out."

"The other warriors? So I'm a warrior now?" Goldenpaw purred.

"Quit dreaming, featherbrained furball." Nightpaw rolled his eyes, following Aspencloud out of camp.

Aspencloud didn't wait for Goldenpaw to start walking, so the apprentice ran over like a duckling trying to catch up to its mother.

Nightpaw fell back so he was walking besides Goldenpaw, letting Aspencloud take the lead. Her head held high, she led them into the pine forest farther away from the borders with the other clans - there was no use checking the cracks in the stones because they would be soaked.

Then something popped into his head that he was surprised he hadn't thought of before.

"How were the cracks in the rocks made, anyway?" he asked curiously.

"That's random," Aspencloud replied, sounding mildly surprised. "I thought Weedthorn and Cloudclaw would've told you at some point."

Nightpaw shook his head as he heard the elders names, but remembered that he was walking behind her, so he meowed, "No, they haven't."

"Oh. In that case, I'll explain. Over the period of many moons, seasons and seasons, the rocks split apart. Water seeped into little groves in the stones, froze into ice, then turned back into water again. The process repeated itself for Starclan knows how long, and cracks eventually started to form in the rocks."

"Wow," Nightpaw meowed, amazed at her knowledge. "Water can do that?"

"The power of the world is more than we know. More powerful than Starclan, even." Aspencloud looked up at the sky. "The riverbank warped through time, the rain falling from above, trees growing up. That's all nature's doing."

"So you don't believe in Starclan?" Goldenpaw gasped, shocked.

"Of course I believe in Starclan, featherbrain." Aspencloud snorted, twisting her head back to look at him. "I just don't think it's as powerful as we give it credit for. Sure, they can make clouds cover the moon at Gatherings and send lightning down to strike trees, but they can't twist our choices and our thoughts. And most importantly, they cannot change who we are."

"That's a relief!" Goldenpaw gasped. "I'd hate to have all my precious fur fall out because Starclan willed it!"

_Typical Goldenpaw, yet again. Of course Starclan could make him lose his fur! They'd just have to zap him with a bolt of lightning, fry his fur, then send rain down to cool him off,_ Nightpaw thought, purring in amusement.

Aspencloud sniffed.

"I'm estimating we'll have time to find five pieces of prey just after sunhigh, come back to camp, then take naps before the Gathering tonight. All in perfect timing, unless a certain golden tom messes everything up."

"MOM!"

()()()

_Italics _\- newer characters

**Bold** \- older characters

**Open**! marks what you can submit OCs for.

* marks requirements for OCs, such as amount.

**Blossomclan (16 cats)**

Leader

**Eaglestar** \- brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cats

**Adderclaw** \- massive long-furred dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Speckleface** \- small orange she-cat with darker spots and blue eyes

Deputy

**Wolffang** \- large gray and black tom

Warriors (**Open**!)

**Swiftfang** \- gold and white she-cat with gold eyes

(Apprentice: **Fadingpaw**)

**Frostbane** \- white tom with black ear tips

**Pineheart** \- dark ginger tom with green eyes

**Mothspots** \- small white she-cat with ginger and brown spots and pale yellow eyes.

_Berrystream_ \- Silver and grey she-cat with small ears and green eyes.

Apprentices

**Fadingpaw** \- small dark gray she-cat with light green eyes {Age: 7 moons}

**Archedpaw** \- black she-cat whose missing an eye and part of her face {7 moons}

**Graypaw** \- gray tabby tomcat with blue eyes and a white underbelly and paws {7 moons}

Queens

**Waspclaw** \- black and white she-cat with a big ginger tabby patch on her face and blue eyes. (Three moon old kit: **Vinekit** \- gray tom with blind green eyes)

**Butterflytrail** \- sleek furred calico she-cat with pale yellow eyes

Elders (**Open**!)

_Treespring_ \- Large, dark golden tom with black patches and light blue eyes

()()()

**Rockclan (17 cats)**

Leader

**Strongstar** \- gray tabby tom with amber eyes and a white chest, muzzle and paws

Medicine Cat

**Howldusk** \- fluffy tuxedo she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy (**Open**!)

Warriors (**Open**!)

**Aspencloud** \- golden she-cat with a white underbelly and tail tip

**Firdbird** \- orange she-cat with blue eyes

**Rainwisp** \- she-cat with solid dark gray fur and blue eyes

**Blizzardear** \- dark ginger tom with light amber eyes that appear pink.

(Apprentice, **Nightpaw**)

**Badgerpelt** \- big black and white she-cat with gold eyes

**Lionwhiskers** \- golden-brown tabby she-cat, leaf-green eyes

(Apprentice, **Goldenpaw**)

**Blackheart** \- black tom with amber eyes

**Sharpwhistle** \- tall black tabby tom with white paws and piercing yellow eyes

Apprentices

**Goldenpaw** \- gold tom with green eyes {9 moons}

**Nightpaw** \- black tom with green eyes {9 moons}

Queens (**Open**! *One more only - without kits*)

**Berrysight** \- small white she-cat with gray patches and icy blue eyes. (5 moon old kits: **Ashkit** \- small, misty gray mottled she-kit with darker flecks and mix-coloured eyes. **Shellkit**\- long-furred white she-kit with mist-gray dapples and yellowish-green eyes)

Elders

**Cloudclaw** \- pure white tom with amber eyes

**Weedthorn** \- large white and brown tom with green eyes and a black tail-tip

()()()

**Fieldclan (26 cats - closed for submission!)**

Leader

**Heatherstar** \- fawn she-cat with light green eyes and dark brown markings on her chest

Medicine Cat

**Sparktail** \- dark ginger she-cat with yellow eyes.

Medicine Cat Apprentice

**Softpaw** \- small white she-cat with pale blue eyes {12 moons}

Deputy

**Duskfur** \- Dusty brown tom with blue eyes

Warriors

**Volepounce** \- light ginger tabby she-cat with light green eyes

**Darkbolt** \- lean black she-cat with yellow eyes

**Gorsethorn** \- light brown tom with darker stripes and amber-yellow eyes

**Badgerfrost** \- Grey and black tom with a white underbelly and paws.

**Mistytail** \- mist gray she-cat with yellow eyes

**Splinteredtooth** \- thick-furred tundra gray tabby tom with orange eyes

_Spiralsun_ \- long-furred grey tom with green eyes and white paws

_Yellowfire_ \- broad-shouldered yellow and white tabby she-cat with golden eyes

_Sandyclaw_ \- tiny, pale ginger tom with a deep nicked left ear and golden eyes

_Stagclaw_ \- speckled grey tom with blue eyes

_Blacktuft_ \- Light brown tom with black-tufted ears and green eyes

Apprentices

**Logpaw** \- ginger and black tom {12 moons}

**Storkpaw** \- black and light gray tom {12 moons}

Queens

**Olivetail**\- soft calico she-cat with pale green eyes (6 moon old kits: **Webkit** \- dark ginger tabby tom kit with amber eyes, **Turtlekit** \- light brown she-kit with feathery whiskers, **Maplekit** \- dark red and creamy-tabby she-kit with midnight blue eyes)

**Lizardfang** \- pale brown tabby she-cat with a white underbelly and green eyes. (4 moon old kit: **Hollowkit** \- gray tom kit with green eyes)

_Ravenshadow_ \- lithe lack she-cat with blue eyes (Kit: _Dandelionkit_ \- lithe gray she-cat with blue eyes and black paws.)

Elders

**Sunheart** \- black tom with yellow eyes and a white patch on his chest and belly


	7. (Maple) Chapter Six: Run

**I really pushed myself to get this chapter completed (It took a long time), so I hope you like it!**

(Maple) Chapter six: Run

Maplepaw woke up that morning, refreshed. The smell of rain trampled the scent of the apprentices' den entirely.

Oh… right. Her new den. She still wasn't used to not sleeping next to Olivetail and her littermates anymore.

"You're not going to be enjoying sleeping in for long!" Turtlepaw called from the other side of the den. "Fieldclan cats usually go out at dusk and dawn, sleep at night, and take naps in the day."

Maplepaw grunted, getting to her paws. She arched her back and stretched her legs then looked over at Webpaw. He stirred, then got to his paws.

"Hey, why did you have to be so loud?" he meowed to Turtlepaw, his voice thick with sleepiness. He opened his mouth in a yawn.

Turtlepaw rolled her eyes.

"Let's hope our mentors let us go to the Gathering now, with a littermate that's half asleep. Wake up, sleepyhead!" She ran over and gave him a wack in the face.

Webpaw flinched back, and Turtlepaw whirled around, taking brisk steps to the den entrance.

"Come on!"

Sometimes Maplepaw would've stayed in the apprentices' den just to annoy Turtlepaw, but her stomach growled, reminding her of her hunger. She reluctantly followed her sister out of the den.

The ground was moist, and Maplepaw could see that in some spots it was soft and squishy.

Turtlepaw kept her head held high as she marched over to the freshkill pile. She snatched a finch out and flung it to the ground in front of Maplepaw.

"This is for you."

It was small, one wing streaked with fresh blood. _A warrior must have leaped up to get this_, Maplepaw thought as she stared at the finch. She pushed it aside, grabbing a rabbit from the pile instead.

"What are you doing?" Turtlepaw demanded. "You'd better eat the finch."

Maplepaw stared at Turtlepaw for a moment, tail lashing.

"You're so bossy! I don't have to do _anything_," she meowed forcefully. She then grabbed the finch and threw it at Turtlepaw.

Her sister backed up, obviously startled. Her eyes were wide and surprised, then they narrowed to slits.

"So have it your way!" Turtlepaw hissed, then turned away and grabbed a neatly killed shrew off the pile. She got up and stomped away, leaving Maplepaw alone.

_I'll have to get her back at some point,_ she thought. _She can't go not pranked for long!_

()()()

"What are we doing today?" Maplepaw asked Volepounce eagerly. She felt a little better today about having the nasty senior warrior as her mentor.

"You'll see, apprentice," Volepounce meowed curtly. "Keep up."

Maplepaw picked up the pace, excitement twitching in her paws. "Am I going to the Gathering? Is it true that there are tons of cats?"

The light ginger warrior didn't answer her question. Instead she mewed, "I have a surprise for you."

"Me? What is it?"

"Quiet!" Volepounce hissed. "Patience. You'll see in a moment."

They kept walking, away from Blossomclan border and Rockclan border, deeper into the territory. The landscape turned into forest, and the grass became shorter.

Finally, they came to a large oak tree. Volepounce stopped in front of it. "This is the Great Oak. It's your surprise."

Maplepaw looked upwards. The tree was huge! It had a thick trunk from which many branches sprouted. It stood tall too.

She gasped.

"Am I going to learn to climb it?"

Volepounce snorted.

"Starclan, no. We teach tree climbing, but later in your apprenticeship. Look at the tree's trunk."

Maplepaw walked over to the tree. The bark was gnarly, and she could see a few ants climbing up it. There were also plants like moss and ivy growing on it.

_What's so special about it?_

Maplepaw looked over to see Volepounce staring at her expectantly, as if she were waiting for an answer.

"Huh? It's a tree," Maplepaw meowed. _An old tree, like you, but you're an animal and it's a plant, _she added silently.

Volepounce let out a snarl.

"No!" she snapped, sounding irritated. "You're dumber than I thought." She walked over and stopped in front of the tree, turning towards her. "You're going to learn how to gather moss."

Maplepaw's heart sunk. She thought they were going to do something much more interesting than _that_, maybe even see something amazing like the last lesson. But no, now she was going to gather moss from an old tree with a grumpy warrior. Not exactly her idea of fun.

"Go ahead," Volepounce meowed, gesturing to the tree impatiently. "Get it over with."

"Um… okay." Maplepaw extended one paw, unsheathing her claws and gripping onto the moss. She tore it away, letting it fall to the ground.

"Wrong!" Volepounce snapped.

_There's a wrong way to gather moss?_ Maplepaw wondered.

"You cup your paw like this - " The ginger tabby reached over and moved her paw into the correct position, " - and then scrape the moss."

Maplepaw, frustrated, peeled some moss off the tree then turned to Volepounce.

Her mentor grunted, and Maplepaw turned back to the tree, assuming that her mentor was finally okay with what she was doing.

The day passed by quickly, and Maplepaw gathered so much moss that she thought her paws would come off. Volepounce just stood by silently and watched her do it.

_It's like I'm a servant,_ she'd thought, about halfway through.

Soon enough, Volepounce stopped her and showed her how to carry the moss under her chin and in her mouth. Together, they walked slowly back to Fieldclan camp, only stopping to pick up moss they'd dropped.

Soon, they laid it out in the clearing near the medicine den.

"We'll wait for it to dry, then we'll stock the dens. Can't be too wet, or else everyone's bones will ache. Can't be too dry, either, or else it won't be as soft. We need to get it just right," Volepounce commented, separating two pieces of moss that had been stuck together by a strand.

Maplepaw let out a bored sigh, but she didn't complain. She was afraid that Volepounce would get mad and snap at her again, like she did the last time she complained about moss-gathering.

"What's this?" Sparktail asked, stopping at the entrance to the medicine den, looking amused as she watched them lay the moss out.

"It's for the dens," Volepounce explained.

Sparktail let out a purr.

"That's good. Sunheart will appreciate it," she meowed cheerfully. Then the ginger she-cat turned around and padded back into the medicine den.

Maplepaw stared after her longingly. _I bet my older sister Softpaw has a better time there with Sparktail than I'm having right now,_ she thought. _I'd rather have a mentor other than Volepounce. _

"Keep going!" Volepounce snapped, and she was pulled back to reality.

()()()

Volepounce sat with Darkbolt and Badgerfrost in the clearing, discussing something quickly and quietly. Once Maplepaw even saw Darkbolt throw a dirty look at Volepounce.

"What do you think our mentors are talking about?" she asked Webpaw, and the gray tom just shrugged.

"Webpaw! Maplepaw! Turtlepaw! Over here!" Darkbolt called.

Maplepaw exchanged curious glances with Webpaw before running over to the black she-cat.

"We've decided you'll come to the Gathering with us," the warrior explained, "You'll just have to run."

"To run?" Maplepaw asked. "I'm good at running! Why are we running?"

"Fieldclan runs to Gatherings," Badgerfrost meowed. "It's tradition."

"That's mousebrained!" Turtlepaw exclaimed. "What if some cat slips and falls?"

Volepounce scoffed.

"Everyone keeps going, of course. If you're concerned about falling, you could always stay here."

_Maybe this will be fun,_ Maplepaw thought. _Running to the Gathering?_

Turtlepaw raised her chin. "I won't fall! What kind of fool does that?"

_But you just asked about falling a minute ago! Clearly you were concerned._

"We'll be leaving at dusk. Make sure you rest up."

()()()

Through talking to some other cats, Maplepaw learned that Fieldclan was the last to leave their camp because they ran. She also learned the reason why Fieldclan cats ran - to keep themselves fit. Queens and elders that didn't feel like they could make it didn't go. They usually didn't have as much stamina.

The Fieldclan cats began to run, Heatherstar and Duskfur, Maplepaw's father, in front. She had rested earlier, which was a good idea. She felt more nergized now than she would've been.

She'd never been out this late. Olivetail would always have them inside the nursery before sundown at least.

"Slowpoke!" Turtlepaw called from ahead of her.

Maplepaw was at the back of the group, because she found that she could smell and see them cats ahead of her better from here.

"I'm not slow!" Maplepaw shouted. "I'm smart!" She took a deep breath of air and kept running.

"If you are smart, don't waste your breath," Darkbolt called from beside her. Maplepaw looked over to see that the she-cat wasn't breathing heavily at all, and her gait was evened out to a graceful trot.

_Wow,_ Maplepaw thought, _she isn't even tired yet? Well, I suppose she's more experienced at running to Gatherings than I am. I just became an apprentice!_

Maplepaw found herself starting to slow, the breaths she took more shallow. She gasped for air, trying to catch up to the rest of the group, but they kept running.

_How do they expect me to keep up?_ Maplepaw thought in her head. Letting out a growl, she ran harder, her legs hitting the ground. _I'm not giving up! They better not leave me behind!_

She kept running, but she knew she wouldn't be able to keep her pace for long.

_Maybe I should've started at the front of the group,_ she thought, _then I could fall back in the group and not _behind _the group!_

The pounding of her heart in her ears becomes faster. The Fieldclan cats ahead seemed farther away than ever.

_Push, push, push! It's a Fieldclan workout, _she told herself.

Then she tripped over a lump in the ground.

"Ouch!"

Maplepaw fell down, exhausted, watching helplessly as her clanmates ran ahead of her. Her foot hurt where she had caught a hard bump in the soil.

_They're going to leave me behind,_ she thought miserably, _then everyone is going to be talking about the first apprentice in history to get stuck in the middle of Fieldclan territory!_

Maplepaw sat up, breathing hard. She knew it would be almost impossible to catch up with them now.

That's when she heard the sound.

It was like a pawstep of a cat, but Maplepaw didn't know of any cats that would be around when everyone was at the gathering.

Her heart gave an anxious thump in her chest.

_Maybe it's a fox, like the one in Sunheart's story!_ she thought, feeling even more scared.

Then she heard a rustle, and a muffled groan. She whirled around, panicked.

And that's when she saw it.


	8. (Fading) Chapter Seven: Plan

**I've got a special surprise coming up for the viewers of one of my other stories soon!**

**Reply to reviews**

**Random Fan: So glad you're enjoying it!**

**icantwrite: Thanks for the OCs!**

(Fading) Chapter seven: Plan

Fadingpaw sighed as she chewed her thrush. Graypaw sat beside her, currently in one of his moods she called the Silence Zone, when he didn't really talk much at all.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked, nudging him in the side.

Graypaw looked over at her but said nothing, so Fadingpaw took another bite of her bird and sighed. He'd been like this ever since the fox attack, his personality drifting side to side, and she was uncertain how he'd act on any given day. He could be cheerful and happy, or he could hold her at a cold distance.

Archedpaw's personality was a bit more stable, but it had still changed drastically. She used to be more like Fadingpaw, so much so that they could be called sisters, but now…

Fadingpaw sighed again, spitting out a bone from the thrush's wing. She looked out into the clearing, where Mothspots was carrying a bundle of moss in her mouth, looking happy as she walked over to the nursery.

_That's weird,_ Fadingpaw thought. Mothspots usually hung around the medicine den, or chatted with Berrystream in the clearing.

She got to her paws and trotted over to the calico warrior, head slightly tilted to the side.

"What are you doing? Don't you know changing the queens bedding is an apprentice's job?" Graypaw had filled them with fresh moss only yesterday.

Mothspots looked over at her, eyes bright. "Speckleface says Butterflytrail is going to have her kits soon. I was just concerned she didn't have enough water, so..." The she-cat kept walking, and Fadingpaw didn't try to stop her.

The dark gray apprentice glanced over at the medicine den. _May as well start my duties before Swiftfang snaps at me,_ she thought.

The medicine den was a cave in the earth, just high enough up on the rocky hill that rain couldn't flood it. It's entrance was plain compared to the the other dens - no lichen or ivy covering it. Fadingpaw stepped inside, and her paws met the stone ground.

"What is it?"

Plants lined the walls of the den. A big brown tabby was bent over a pile of herbs, facing away from her. His pelt was laden with scars, the newest addition being on the right side of his jaw. Fadingpaw didn't flinch at his appearance like some cats did. She was used to it. He looked like any other cat to her.

"I need some moss."

The tom straightened up and turned to face her. He towered over her in height, and he was wider, too. His amber eyes were scorching with a warrior's spirit, although he was a medicine cat.

He grunted. "I'll get you some. Stay here and don't you _dare_ touch a single thing." He whirled away and left her standing there.

Fadingpaw looked around. The massive medicine cat had disappeared into a winding tunnel on her left which led to a cave full of moss where Blossomclan cats harvested their bedding.

She shifted awkwardly on her paws until he returned with two bundles of moss for her to carry. He set them down on the ground gently.

"Thanks, Adderclaw," Fadingpaw meowed, bending down to pick up the bedding. As she did, a weight came down on her shoulders and she let out a squeak.

"What the - " The medicine cat was holding her down with one big paw. Fadingpaw looked up at him, blinking. "What are you doing that for?"

Adderclaw narrowed his eyes. "You're a Blossomclan cat. Remember that."

"Hey! Let me go!" Fadingpaw wrenched away from him, grabbing the moss bundles. As she turned around and walked away, she could swear that he was staring at her the whole time.

()()()

The Blossomclan cats were starting to leave for the Gathering as the sky darkened. Fadingpaw watched them leave from the entrance, then turned away with a sigh. The only cats in camp were the queens, Vinekit, Archedpaw, Speckleface and a couple warriors.

Not fun.

Then she remembered her plan, and instantly brightened. She waited for a little bit, then snuck outside the camp, making sure nobody would see.

The Blossomclan cats lurked ahead, Fadingpaw knew, but she could always follow them from behind.

She was going to the Gathering. She was going to get a friend.

Fadingpaw fell back a bit, but she knew it wasn't a problem because she could still smell the Blossomclan cats.

Then she started to smell a different scent. They'd crossed onto Fieldclan territory. Fadingpaw felt a burst of excitement. She felt as free as a bird away from the confines of camp and Blossomclan.

The fresh grass scent of Fieldclan eventually grew stronger until it completely swallowed up the scent of her clan. She stopped to scent the air, then her eyes widened. The scent of Fieldclan was becoming fresher, and she could hear voices! Fadingpaw quickly sunk into the grass and moved away, knowing her dark gray pelt wouldn't be visible.

The Fieldclan cats were approaching. And…

Fadingpaw moved up a little to see cats. Running cats. A fawn she-cat took the lead, a dusty brown tom beside her.

_Fieldclan cats run to Gatherings?_ she thought. She couldn't stop herself from letting out a small purr as she moved a little farther away from them.

There was a broad shouldered white and yellow she-cat over there… a light gray and black tom with a long tail over here… a light brown tom with darker brown markings somewhere in the middle…

Fadingpaw watched in awe as they ran.

_Should I follow them?_

It was a mousebrained question that popped up in her head and she quickly drew a conclusion to it.

_Hey, what am I thinking? Of course I should!_

Fadingpaw waited to let the stampede pass, then jogged behind them, careful to hold herself back so that she didn't start sprinting.

_This is fun!_ she thought. _Blossomclan is pretty boring compared to this!_

Fadingpaw's legs ached to go faster, but she didn't want to get in trouble again, so she convinced herself to stay at a fair pace.

Ahead of her, she could see a red and white cat slowing down. It was a small she-cat, obviously an apprentice. She was making her best effort, but she obviously couldn't keep up.

Fadingpaw slowed down a bit with her. As the Fieldclan cats started to run farther and farther ahead, she felt a twinge of frustration.

_Why can't she just run faster?_

Suddenly, the apprentice tripped, falling to the ground. Fadingpaw stopped jogging, groaning annoyedly. Why couldn't that cat just speed up so she could run instead of walk?

And then she realized her mistake. The apprentice whirled around, her midnight blue eyes wide, her flank moving in and out with each breath. Her mouth dropped open wide and Fadingpaw knew she was busted.

"W-who are you?" The apprentice stuttered.

Fadingpaw narrowed her eyes. "I could ask the same for you. You're not much of a runner, are you?"

"I just became an apprentice yesterday!" The she-cat hissed defensively, the fur on her shoulders rising. "What do you expect? Wait… are you even a clan cat?"

Fadingpaw sniffed, sitting down. She had to admit, this kit wasn't that bad at running for a new apprentice.

"Of course, featherbrain," she snorted. "Who else lives around here?"

"Well…" the apprentice trailed off. "I don't know, foxes?"

Fadingpaw froze. _Foxes._

The apprentice blinked then meowed, "Are you alright? You look…"

"I'm fine," Fadingpaw snapped, giving her head a shake and gathering up her senses again. "And I'm a Blossomclan cat. I wasn't supposed to go to the Gathering. Well, now my plan is ruined!"

The she-cat flinched, then meowed, "Um… I should go."

"You should. Don't tell anyone you saw me, either," Fadingpaw grunted.

"Why?" The other apprentice challenged suddenly, lashing her tail. "You're the one breaking the rules. You're technically trespassing on Fieldclan land!"

Fadingpaw narrowed her eyes.

"I'll tell you what," she meowed, "In two days time, we'll meet at the border and I'll teach you to climb a tree." She was obviously inexperienced at everything.

The red and white apprentice stared at her for a moment, then turned around and raced after her clanmates, leaving Fadingpaw without an answer.


	9. (Night) Chapter Eight: Gathering

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I haven't had time to publish anything lately. Sorry for the delay!**

**Open spots for OCs**

**Blossomclan - Warriors, Elders**

**Rockclan - Deputy, Warriors**

**Fieldclan - Warriors**

**That's all! :)**

(Night) Chapter Eight: Gathering

Nightpaw followed right behind Aspencloud, Goldenpaw and Blizzardear as they traveled to the Gathering. Nightpaw was fairly excited, but not as much as his other times going, when he was younger.

The ground was still cold from the earlier rain, and the air was as fresh as it had been in the morning.

The black furred apprentice stopped abruptly as the cats in him stopped walking. He felt a cat behind him bump into him. He turned around quickly to see who it was.

"What are you looking at?" The black and white she-cat, Ivyfur, snapped. She was panting a bit, he noticed.

"Nothing," Nightpaw mumbled, then kept walking.

_Almost there,_ he thought.

Soon, he could see many more cats up ahead, all shapes, colours and patterns. It still amazed him at their number. _So many cats!_

"You know the drill." Blizzardear turned his head around to talk to Nightpaw like he did before all Gatherings. "I'll trust you won't get in fights, not say too much and stay away from Blossomclan cats."

Nightpaw nodded, like always, and soon Rockclan merged with the crowd of Blossomclan and Fieldclan cats.

He looked around for someone in particular, eyes searching the crowd until he saw a bicolor Fieldclan tom. He ran over and tapped him on the shoulder with one paw.

"Hey!" The black and light gray tom whirled around, then relaxed. "Oh, what's good, Nightpaw? Long time no see!"

"Nothing much. How are you doing, Storkpaw? I didn't see you last time." Nightpaw nodded to the other apprentice.

"It's Stork_flight_ now." The Fieldclan tom puffed out his chest. "I was also busy arguing with Logpaw - I mean, Logflame - last Gathering. I _obviously_ caught the better hare! A nice, plump one, too. Olivetail had to suppress a gasp when she saw how amazing a hunter I was turning out to be."

"Oh," Nightpaw meowed, a bit bored. "Anything else? How about your family?"

"Softpaw is stuck as an apprentice because she's a medicine cat. They're like that, y'know? My younger siblings got older. So, nothing much."

"Older?"

"Yeah. Webkit won't shut up about it, either. He's so excited."

"Storkflight!"

The Fieldclan warrior whirled around, probably looking at another cat. Then he glanced back at Nightpaw briefly. "Well, I'll catch you later. Yellowfire's calling me." His eyes glinted, then he turned around and scampered off into the crowd, leaving Nightpaw by himself.

_Wow,_ Nightpaw thought, _he's gotten… well… _He let out a sigh, then turned around.

Goldenpaw sat there, his eyes excited.

"I saw some new cats! Come on!" He gestured with his tail for Nightpaw to follow him.

"So you were sitting there listening to my whole conversation?"

Goldenpaw rolled his eyes and dashed away, so Nightpaw ran after him through the crowd.

"Look over there," his littermate whispered excitedly. Close to a group of Fieldclan warriors, he could see three cats, small, obviously new apprentices. "Let's go meet them!"

One of the cats, a light brown she-cat, looked over at Goldenpaw, then her eyes widened. Nightpaw sniffed. Of course the apprentices would notice them. He knew that he and his littermate stood out, because they were prettier than other cats.

"Alright. You go first, though."

Goldenpaw nodded, then got up and approached them. All three of them turned to look at him, eyes wide and excited.

"New?" he guessed. "We're from Rockclan."

The light brown she-cat nodded, then said, "We're Fieldclan, if you couldn't tell. I'm Turtlepaw, that's Webpaw, and then Maplepaw."

Nightpaw gave each of them a thorough glance.

Turtlepaw was smaller than the other two, with fiery amber eyes and whiskers like Goldenpaw's - feathery and long. Her pelt was the colour of Duskfur's, the Fieldclan deputy he'd seen at Gatherings. She must've been his son. She also had dainty Rockclan-like paws, but she wasn't big or broad-shouldered.

Webpaw, on the other hand, was big and broad-shouldered. He had his sister's eyes and long ears. His nose was light pink like a berry, and he had a dark ginger tabby pelt.

Maplepaw was in the middle, the average cat of the three. The ginger on her pelt was much darker than Webpaw's - it was more like a red. She also had white, just a little more of it on her pelt than red. Instead of having her littermates's amber eyes, hers were a dark, midnight blue. She was a little fluffy but lean, and her long ears were tufted.

Maplepaw glanced over at Nightpaw, and he could tell there was a faint troubled look in her eyes. It was masked by her excitement, though, so he could barely see it.

But it was still there.

"Hello," he meowed, remembering to be formal when meeting new cats. "I'm Nightpaw, and this is my littermate, Goldenpaw."

Goldenpaw nodded to the new cats, then meowed, "Do you know who the leaders are?"

"Of course!" Turtlepaw butted in. "The fawn she-cat is Heatherstar, our leader. I think the gray tom, Strongstar, is Rockclan leader. I don't know who the third one is, though."

Nightpaw looked over at the leaders. The third leader, Eaglestar, Blossomclan's leader, had an angry expression on his face. He kept casting glances at Strongstar, who was perching nearly with his tail wrapped over his paws calmly. They were both perched on the Great Maple, and Eaglestar seemed to look like he'd rather be rolling around in the mud.

But before he could answer, Webpaw butted in.

"Why does he look so angry?" asked the ginger tom curiously.

Nightpaw didn't reply. He felt a bit weird inside, like his belly was twisting itself into knots.

"Leaders get angry sometimes," Goldenpaw answered, but both littermates knew the truth. Eaglestar wasn't just angry. He was furious. The fox attack killed two of their cats, and he believed a Rockclan cat was responsible.

"I bet it's for a stupid reason." Turtlepaw rolled her eyes. "I suppose apprentices like you wouldn't know what was going on anyway."

Nightpaw exchanged glances with Goldenpaw. _Tell her off, _Goldenpaw's eyes seemed to say. The black furred tom looked back at the Fieldclan apprentices, eyes narrowed.

"We do know," Nightpaw retorted coolly, "You're just too immature to be told the truth."

"Don't call me immature!" Turtlepaw snapped, fur on her shoulders bristling. "I - "

"Turtlepaw!" The call of a black and gray tom made the small apprentice whirled around. She gave the Rockclan apprentices a sour look before she dashed away.

"Is she usually like that?" Nightpaw asked the remaining cats. Webpaw shrugged, but Maplepaw frowned and nodded.

"Yes. Turtlepaw is rude."

Goldenpaw snorted, and meowed, "Anyways, that leader, the Blossomclan leader, is called Eaglestar. I'm sure you'll learn in a moment why he's been so angry. Uh… it's a dark story."

"What happened?" Maplepaw asked eagerly.

"Erm…" Goldenpaw muttered. "You shouldn't want to hear it."

Webpaw's eyes widened. "Does it have foxes in it?" he asked. "Foxes are evil." He unsheathed his claws then sheathed them again.

Nightpaw stiffened. Did they know more than they let on?

"Cats of all clans!"

The crowd grew silent, all of the cats eyes turning to look at Heatherstar. She sat in the middle of the branch, the two other leaders on either side of her. "Please remember, this is a time for peace and harmony! I'm sure you can manage to hold it for one night."

A few cats snickered. The two apprentices beside Nightpaw looked confused and excited at the same time.

"We have come to share," Heatherstar continued, "so that is what will do. Fieldclan has some news. We have news warriors! Storkflight and Logflame!"

"Storkflight! Logflame!" The clans called. The cheering seemed to be fairly even, but some of the Fieldclan cats shouted very loudly.

Nightpaw looked over at the two warriors. Logflame looked happy, and Storkflight held his head high as they shouted his name.

"What's wrong?" Maplepaw asked, and in surprise, he saw that she was looking at him. "You looked like you ate something foul."

"It's nothing," Nightpaw meowed quickly.

"It's not 'nothing'," Maplepaw protested, but didn't say anything else. He saw she looked a tiny bit hurt, then he remembered what Storkflight had said earlier.

_Webkit won't shut up about it either._

That's when he realized that Maplepaw must've been Storkflight and Logflame's younger sister.

Nightpaw shifted on his paws. "Storkflight just said something I didn't like, earlier," he lied, which was only partially true.

"Oh." Maplepaw relaxed a bit. "He can be full of himself, sometimes. He's not a bad cat, though."

He stared at her for a moment. _Not a bad cat? How do you define someone as bad?_

"We also have some apprentices!" Heatherstar called. "Olivetail and Duskfur's kits, Turtlepaw, Webpaw and Maplepaw!"

Maplepaw flattened her ears in embarrassment as the clans called her name, but soon, straightened up a bit. She seemed to feel a little more confident as they kept cheering.

Then, when the cheering stopped, Heatherstar nodded to Strongstar.

"The prey is running well in Rockclan," the tom meowed. "Our queen and elders have been well fed. That's all." Strongstar glanced over at Eaglestar.

The brown tabby bit his lip, then began, "First, I want to stay positive with this announcement. Speckleface has stayed behind because Butterflytrail is close to kitting. Now I have more things to say." Eaglestar gave Strongstar a hostile glance. "We still believe a Rockclan cat is responsible for baiting that fox into our camp. Our apprentices still haven't recovered from the ordeal."

Strongstar stayed calm. "I know you are angry, Eaglestar," he meowed, "But I can assure you that it wasn't us."

"Then why did it have Rockclan scent on it?" Eaglestar challenged.

"Simple," Strongstar replied coolly, "One of your Blossomclan cats is a cunning murderer."

Eaglestar flinched, and Heatherstar butted in, "Please! Stop bickering! Look at the moon!"

Clouds were slowly drifting across it.

"Look at the moon?" Maplepaw whispered to Nightpaw, confused. "Foxes?"

"Starclan covers the moon with clouds to stop the clans from breaking the truce," Nightpaw replied, "And yes, Blossomclan believes that we baited a fox into their camp. Two cats were killed, and more injured."

Maplepaw's eyes widened. "A fox killed Blossomclan cats?"

"I've got to go," Nightpaw replied curtly, getting to his paws. "The moon is completely covered now." He turned away. "I'll see you next Gathering."

He ran over to his clanmates and looked up at the sky.

The night's stars were already fading above the Great Maple, a clear sign for the Gathering to stop.

()()()

Nightpaw, exhausted, stumbled into camp behind the warriors. Beside him, Goldenpaw gave him a nudge.

"You're not going to fall asleep on your paws, are you?" he teased.

Nightpaw didn't reply. Strongstar had called all the older cats to a meeting, but the apprentices were sent to go sleep. It was already dark, and usually Goldenpaw and Nightpaw would be sleeping by now.

"The den is within sight," Goldenpaw encouraged him. "You can make it."

"Shut up," Nightpaw hissed. "I'm not a kit, you know."

Goldenpaw purred, and ran ahead to the entrance, where he waited for Nightpaw to catch up. Together, they entered the den.

Nightpaw suddenly stopped and stiffened.

"What's wrong?" Goldenpaw asked him, and Nightpaw pointed to the corner of the den.

Two eyes were staring back at them, one yellow and another ice blue through the darkness. A small, misty, mottled gray shape was cowering there.

Goldenpaw tilted his head to the side.

"Ashkit? What are you doing here?" he asked.

The she-kit looked up at him, her eyes sweet but coated with fear. "Kicked out again," she meowed, her voice tiny.

"What do you mean, kicked out again?" Goldenpaw asked, crouching down beside her.

Ashkit flinched, moving away from him a little.

"It's okay, no need to be scared," the gold tom soothed the kit. "Tell me what's wrong, Ashkit. Did you have a bad dream?"

"No," Ashkit replied, voice shaking. "Mama kicked me out again. Of the nursery. But everyone was gone."

Nightpaw froze, feeling dread creep slowly up his spine. He exchanged glances with Goldenpaw.

Goldenpaw gulped, then looked back at her.

"She kicked you out?"

Ashkit moved away from him so her back was pressed up against the den's wall. She trembled, flattening her ears.

Goldenpaw took a step back, then meowed, "You can stay here for now. But why don't you come warm up? You look cold."

Ashkit stared at him, then nodded her head slowly. Goldenpaw guided her over to his nest.

Nightpaw settled down in his and watched as Goldenpaw curled his body around the kit, who was still shaking in fear.

"It's okay," Goldenpaw whispered. "It'll be okay."

_Okay,_ Nightpaw thought. _Everything is fine..._


	10. Chapter Nine: Training

**Maplepaw's chapter was going to be boring, and like, a hundred words, so I put this here instead and it works much better! Thanks, The Imprisoned of Hell, for reminding me of your OC scene.**

**Chapter ten is ready. It's pretty heavy. I suppose I'll put a small warning there.**

**Thank you everyone for your OCs! Also for your patience! I bet you've noticed that I'm not updating as much. I've been having a lot of story ideas lately and it's kind of hard for me to work on this. My days have also been more free, which is a bad thing. For a normal writer, it would mean more time to work on a story, but for me, it's not good. I need a time limit to complete individual chapters, otherwise I'm not motivated. And I am keeping track of the OCs - I'm just not posting the list on a chapter. If you want to see the full list, it's on my profile. At some point I'll edit the first chapter to have the full list as well, it's just a lot of work.**

**Here you are!**

Chapter nine: Training

"Push your legs in a little… keep your tail off the ground… looks good!"

Vinekit raised his tail. It felt a little awkward, but that didn't matter. His mother was teaching him the hunting crouch and he was only three moons old! He could already be an apprentice.

Waspclaw pulled away from Vinekit, satisfied. "You'll be a warrior in no time!"

On the other side of the nursery, he could hear the shifting of moss as Butterflytrail sat up. His mother had explained to him how she was in the nursery because she was going to have her kits soon.

"Don't you think it's a little early to be teaching him that?" The calico queen asked, sounding a bit worried. "He's only halfway through his kithood! Besides, Vinekit is - "

"I don't care what he is!" Waspclaw cut her off sharply. "It's about what he _will_ be! He's going to be the _best_ warrior in the clan, and I'm not letting anyone say otherwise!"

"Yeah!" Vinekit chimed in, annoyed. Why couldn't Butterflytrail just leave him alone?

"Alright then." Butterflytrail's voice sounded tense.

Waspclaw nudged Vinekit in the shoulder to get his attention. "Come on Vinekit. Let's go practice outside."

"Alright," Vinekit meowed, raising his chin and following his mother outside the den. He could always tell when he'd left the nursery - a blast of cool air hit him in the face and the scent of milk disappeared.

"What can you smell?" Waspclaw asked him.

Vinekit concentrated.

"Rain from earlier, ferns and Blossomclan warriors… nothing else though."

"Hm." Waspclaw tasted the air. "That's right."

They sat there for a moment silently then Vinekit spoke.

"Mama?" he asked.

"Yes, Vinekit?" Waspclaw turned towards him.

"What… what will the other clans think of me? Being a warrior, I mean?"

Waspclaw grunted.

"They have no problem with Archedpaw."

"I know, but she _doesn't _go to Gatherings, and she's only blind in _one _eye!" Vinekit grumbled.

"She's different, and she's not blind in one eye. She's _missing_ an eye." Waspclaw's tail lashed against the ground. "And who do you think would care about you being blind?"

Vinekit slouched over. "The other clans are going to think I'm weak!"

"Then you show them you're strong," Waspclaw hissed. "You have it in you. If the clans aren't going to see that, make them."

Vinekit sighed, then straightened up. "I will."

"Now go inside." Waspclaw prodded him. "You're starting to get cold."


	11. (Fading) Chapter Ten: Nightmare

**Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Hope you had a good one. :) I'm thinking of doing a Warriors High at some point, even though that's way too overdone.**

**Reply to reviews.**

**Pheonix Echo: Yeah, I can take your OCs, but you're late for deputy, apprentice and medicine cat. They're all warriors now. Also, we have two berry cats already, so your OC will be called Seedfur. Willowpaw is Willowheart. But thank you anyways! Blossomclan needed a lot more OCs.**

(Fading) Chapter ten: Nightmare

Unsuccessful, Fadingpaw was back resting in her nest. She hadn't gone to the Gathering after all.

She was having a good dream, then suddenly…

"SWEETSHINE!"

Her eyes flung open. On the other side of the den, Archedpaw was thrashing in her nest, whimpering. Graypaw was by his sister's side in a moment, crouching next to her.

"Archedpaw, it's okay," he whispered. Her poked her in the side and she shuddered, opening her eye and looking up at him, still trembling.

"Gone she's," Archedpaw whispered hoarsely, shutting her eye again and curling up into a ball. "Gone she's, gone she's, gone she's…"

Graypaw curled up beside her, wrapping his paws around her neck and pulling her small, skinny form closer to him. "It's alright. I'm here."

Archedpaw shuttered and sighed.

"Had I nightmare," she mumbled. "Sweetshine again gone. Gone she's."

Fadingpaw's heart almost shattered. Archedpaw never had nightmares, or if she did, they weren't this bad.

Nightmares bring back memories.

()()()

"Settle down, kits." The white queen ushered all three of them into her nest. "I bet you're tired!"

"Aww!" Fadingkit complained. "I want to play more!"

"You _always_ want to play more," Graykit teased.

Archedkit yawned and settled down beside her mother, Sweetshine. "I'm not tired," she meowed, only to be broken off by another yawn.

Sweetshine purred as Graykit and Fadingkit joined Archedkit beside her.

"What story do you want to hear today, kits?" she asked softly.

"Oh, I know!" Fadingkit exclaimed. "What about the one with the cat who could scare foxes away just by looking at them?"

"We've heard that story too many times!" Graykit protested. "How about that leader who saved a young kit who'd fallen into icy water?"

Sweetshine looked thoughtful.

"What about a different story today? How does that sound?"

"Good!" The kits chorused.

"Alright. Once upon a time, there were three kits," Sweetshine began.

"What were their names?" Archedkit asked.

"Vanishkit, Orangekit and Stretchkit. They were three nice kits and all the clans loved them. Vanishkit loved to play, Orangekit liked to talk and Stretchkit liked to collect bugs. One day, Vanishkit went to the stream to get some water for Orangekit, who was too busy talking to Stretchkit."

Beside Fadingkit, Archedkit was already asleep. Sweetshine kept talking, and slowly, Fadingkit felt her energy start to drain.

Then, there was a scream and a hiss that cut into her thoughts. It came from outside the den.

"FOX!"

Sweetshine jolted up, pushing the kits away from her and deeper into the nest.

Archedkit's eyes went wide. "Mama? It isn't real, is it?"

Their mother wordlessly covered them in the nest's moss and feathers, concealing them beneath. Fadingkit sneezed, rubbing her nose and pushing the bedding away.

"It's so tickly!" she complained.

Sweetshine's expression was grave. "Stay underneath and be quiet, sweetie. Then you won't be found."

"Found?" Graykit asked, sounding a little worried, as the gray and white she-cat pushed more moss over him and his siblings. Archedkit grabbed onto her littermate and pulled him into the nest, looking scared.

Sweetshine turned away and took a step towards the den's entrance.

_She's leaving the fox to get us?_ Fadingkit thought in despair.

"Wait! Come back!" Fadingkit wailed, but Graykit clamped his paw over her mouth, preventing her from talking anymore.

"I'd never leave you, kits." Sweetshine looked back at them, gaze soft, her body facing the den's entrance. "I'll be outside, watching for the fox. I won't let it hurt you. I won't let it touch you. I won't even let it enter the den. I swear by Starclan I will keep you safe." Determination instead of softness filled her voice as she walked to the den entrance.

Fadingkit watched her go, before Graykit buried her again. The three littermates clung to each other, fearful as they waited for their mother to come back and say it was okay, and that there was no fox. They were waiting in silence before they heard a yowl of pain.

"Who was that?" Archedkit's voice shook.

_Our mother?_ Fadingkit thought. She shivered in fear.

"I'm going to check," Fadingkit whispered to them.

"Don't! Mother told us to be quiet!" Graykit replied urgently, nudging her in the side. "What if we get eaten by the fox? What then?"

"Well, I have to be brave like Sweetshine," she whispered, turning away from him.

"You can't!" Graykit shouted quietly just as she peaked over the moss and saw it.

It was an orange creature, with big black paws. It's piercing amber eyes scanned the den, then it's head jerked towards her. It's thick tail swished in interest, just like in the elders tales.

"Oh no," Fadingkit murmured. "It's the fox. I think it spotted us."

"Wait. What? Why did you look?!" Graykit demanded, his head sticking up beside her. "Now we're going to get eaten and it will be _your_ fault."

Fadingkit quivered. _All my fault. It will be all my fault. The fox will eat us, then we'll be part of the fox. I don't want to be part of a fox. They're stinky and mean, and they eat weird things. It's all my fault that we're getting eaten by a fox._

The fox took a step towards them. Beside her, she felt Graykit's fur fluff up. He was as scared as she was. But at least he wasn't going to be guilty like her.

It snarled, and Fadingkit could see its glinting teeth, sharp, and just for eating… cat. She felt even worse when she thought of it spitting out a mess of gray and black fur.

Graykit moved away from it, and so did Fadingkit. As it advanced, they keep stepping away from it.

A step back for the kits.

A step forward for the fox.

A step back for the kits.

A step forward for the fox.

Another step back for the kits.

Yet another step forward for the fox.

It was almost like walking on thin ice. They'd never know when the ice would break and they'd fall into the freezing water below.

Then something touched Fadingkit's back. She let out a startled squeak and jumped in surprise, and looked back to see that it was the den wall.

Graykit glanced over at her, and their gazes locked. His icy blue eyes were cold and fearful, and he could tell what he was thinking at that moment.

Fadingkit shivered and looked back at the fox. It raised its paw, ready to strike…

"Get away from them!"

She opened her eyes that she hadn't even realized she'd closed. Archedkit was standing in front of them, her tail fur all fluffed up. She looked like a puffy black ball of fur.

The fox snarled, then brought it's paw down. Archedkit was flung aside effortlessly by it, and she lay limply a few tail lengths away. A drop of something wet hit Fadingkit in the middle of her forehead. She wiped it off, then looked down. Her paw was red.

"Archedkit!" Graykit's mouth was wide open in horror.

Fadingkit looked over. She immediately tried to pry her gaze away from her friend, but she found that she couldn't.

The fox snorted, almost like a taunting laugh. It brought its paw up again.

_So this is really the end,_ Fadingkit thought. _We're going to get eaten by a fox. Sweetshine, Shortshadow - I love you. I'll miss you in Starclan, even though you weren't my real parents. Apparently my father was a kittypet and my mother died giving birth to me far away from camp, along with my siblings. Speckleface said the two of them were toms. I wonder if they looked like me, or if they were a different pelt colour completely. Maybe I'll see them up in the sky with my Mama. Maybe I'll get a warrior name up there. Goodbye, Blossomclan. I guess I'm -_

There was a shriek as a cat hit the fox in the side, pinning it down. The cat sunk her jaws into its throat, then pulled away.

And that was it.

The fox was dead.

The she-cat gasped for air for a moment staring down at it, then staggered over to where Archedkit lay and collapsed beside her.

"Oh, my baby," the she-cat murmured, staring over at Archedkit's body. "I should've never let this happen to you."

"Mama!" Graykit cried, running over. "You saved us!"

Sweetshine grunted then laid back down on the ground. A thick, red liquid was spilling steadily out around her neck, drenching her white fur easily.

"It wasn't enough," she sighed, closing her eyes.

After a moment, a black tom emerged at the entrance to the den, looking stricken. He cried out when he saw Sweetshine laying on the ground.

"No!" He yowled, running over and crouching beside her. "Sweetshine! I should've come faster! Sweetshine!"

Sweetshine opened her eyes weakly, then reached up and touched his cheek with her paw. "I'm sorry Shortshadow… " she pulled her paw back and closed our eyes. "Protect our only daughter… guard Archedkit with your life… "

Fadingkit couldn't help it - she flinched back. Why didn't she say instead, 'protect our daughters?'. Sweetshine had raised her for almost as long as her other kits.

"No! I love you! Our kits need you! Don't leave us!" Shortshadow cried.

The pretty white she-cat shuddered, then took a big breath. Then, her flank fell.

It didn't rise again.


	12. (Night) Chapter Eleven: Spy

**IMPORTANT****: If you don't know I'm back, here I am. I actually finished this chapter in the middle of April, but had no motivation to post it at all. Details about what I'm going to be doing with the story are at the bottom of the chapter.**

**Small announcement - I hope everyone is staying safe during this break. Wash your hands, stay away from others, and don't hoard stuff. The neighbor in the house next to you also needs their fair share of bathroom supplies.**

**Quick recap of the story**

**Blossomclan, enraged by the fox attack and what it did to their cats, sends out a patrol to fight Rockclan. While out on patrol, however, one of our protagonists, Fadingpaw, falls into the river. Her mentor punishes her by keeping her from going to the Gathering. Meanwhile, Maplepaw has become a new apprentice and she has a lot to prove to her aggressive mentor, a seasoned warrior. She meets Nightpaw at the Gathering, a curious tom who enjoys knowing everything. When Nightpaw gets back from the Gathering, he returns Ashkit to her nest and goes to sleep. It's the morning now, and Nightpaw is going on patrol.**

(Night) Chapter eleven: Spy

Just another daylight border patrol. Nightpaw marked the border, then padded over to join his mentor.

"Is it just me, or is the scent of Blossomclan stronger?" he asked Blizzardear, rolling his eyes.

Instead of his mentor responding, the patrol leader, Chestnutfall, did. "They've been marking the border more recently," she commented, "I bet it's because Blossomclan is mad from the Gathering last night! I wouldn't worry about it, if I were you."

"I never said I was worrying," Nightpaw growled.

"Smart cats worry."

Nightpaw looked over in surprise to see Ivyfur, her black and white fur bristling.

"Who asked?" Nightpaw shot back.

Blizzardear cuffed him on the ear. "Settle down, Nightpaw."

"I'm not a kit!" the black apprentice hissed in response, squirming away from him. He looked away from the other cats with a huff, and he could hear Blizzardear apologizing to Ivyfur for his behavior.

Irritation prickled his paws. Blizzardear was apologizing for him? Well, he could do it himself!

Nightpaw growled quietly and looked out over the river.

He could see another patrol, like the one he'd seen when he was spying a few days before, but smaller.

"Hmm?" He could see a dark gray she-cat in the patrol, trailing a few paces behind. She looked exhausted, her light green eyes dark and dull.

_But I didn't see her at the Gathering… I wonder why she seems so sad and tired._

Nightpaw tore his gaze away. That cat - Flowerpaw, or something, whatever her mentor had called her - probably wouldn't appreciate him looking at her, since he was a Rockclan cat.

He stared down at the water instead. Sometimes he wished a little that the clans hadn't started fighting in the first place, because there was no way he could that believe one of his clanmates was the culprit - a cat who'd caused the murder of two Blossomclan cats, and the permanent scarring of a kit. Maybe that's why some cats were so uptight, snappy and downright hard to be around.

He snuck a glance at Ivyfur and snickered. _Like her._

"Nightpaw! Are you going to mark the border?" Blizzardear asked, jolting him out of his judgmental thoughts.

"Of course," Nightpaw meowed through gritted teeth as he walked a little closer to the river to mark it with Rockclan scent.

()()()

After the patrol, Nightpaw was sent off to do bedding with Goldenpaw, probably for his behavior.

"Who threw you in the river?" Goldenpaw blurted as he stared at Nightpaw's frizzy pelt. "You haven't even groomed yourself!"

Nightpaw grunted. He hadn't slept well the night before, because he was kept up with thoughts of the Gathering and Ashkit and the mousebrained fox attack.

"I'm not surprised Blizzardear sent you to clean the dens with me, especially with a pelt like that!" Goldenpaw exclaimed.

"I look handsome enough," Nightpaw murmured, moving away from Goldenpaw, who was licking his lips in preparation. He seemed about ready to start grooming his brother, when all of the sudden a yowl pierced the air. Surprised, Nightpaw whirled around.

"Blossomclan?" Nightpaw mewed questioningly. A few cats stood at the entrance to Rockclan camp. He didn't recognize them, but he could guess who they were. They were flanked by strong-looking Rockclan warriors.

Goldenpaw purred in amusement. "I thought you would've learned the clans scents by now!"

"No, I'm only making a better guess than you would have," Nightpaw hissed playfully.

Goldenpaw reached out to bat him with a paw, but Blizzardear strode over and stopped him in his tracks.

"To your den."

Goldenpaw let out a whine. "But I wanted to see the Blossomclan cats!"

"You saw them at the Gathering. Now go to your den."

Nightpaw didn't say anything, but glared at Blizzardear as he passed the warrior. _We're not kits. We're old enough to know what's going on._

After he slipped into the den, he growled. "There's no way my mentor is going to make me stay in here."

"Well, what are you going to do?" Goldenpaw queried. His eyes widened and his fur bristled slightly - he had probably been able to guess. "You're going to get in trouble, aren't you?"

Nightpaw snorted. "Not if they don't see me!" He turned around to face the den entrance.

"Uh… where are you going?" Nightpaw ignored the small bit of anxiety in his brother's voice as he took a step forward.

"To find out why they're here. I'm going to eavesdrop."

**Okay, so… what is going to happen with the story? *frantic panic***

**Relax! It's being continued, but chapters will be posted less frequently (because of Dreamers). On the plus side, though, the quality of the writing and characters will be higher. A few characters may have more depth to them than they already did. I also might make a book cover for this story, since I haven't. **

**Hopefully the fans of this story are seeing this.**

**I would never cancel Three Clans,**

**I just lost motivation,**

**Love you.**

**\- Dusk**


End file.
